Potential benefit of interferon beta-1a for COVID-19 patients not demonstrated

Emmes, a full-service clinical research Organization, today announced that it conducted the data and statistical analysis for the third iteration of the Adaptive COVID-19 Treatment Trial (ACTT-3), using its proprietary Advantage eClinical system. The ACTT-3 trial assessed the efficacy and safety of interferon beta-1a plus remdesivir compared to remdesivir alone in hospitalized adults with COVID-19.

Preliminary data from prior small studies had suggested a potential benefit of interferon beta-1a, a natural antiviral component of the immune system, for COVID-19 patients. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the USA’s National Institutes of Health, sponsored a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial that included 969 participants at 63 hospitals in five countries, including the US to evaluate the combination of interferon beta-1a and remdesivir.

The study concluded that the use of both Interferon beta-1a and remdesivir was not superior to remdesivir alone in patients hospitalized with COVID-based pneumonia.