Interferon: The Latest Advancement in Covid-19 Treatment
A frontline doc unpacks results of a new clinical trial that shows interferon may reduce the odds of severe illness or death from Covid-19
As someone who provides care for those with Covid-19 in a hospital approaching its capacity, I’m constantly on the lookout for safe and effective treatment strategies — anything to help my patients recover faster and get home sooner. With so many therapies being studied, it can be difficult to determine which new piece of data is truly valuable. My attention was caught by a well-constructed clinical trial published November 12 in The Lancet by Phillip Monk, et al. Here’s why I believe it’s so important.
Recent studies have shown a significant portion of individuals who become severely ill from Covid-19 possess antibodies that disable naturally occurring immune proteins called interferons. Instead of targeting invading pathogens, these antibodies, called autoantibodies, act against the body’s own immune system.
Interferons are cell-signaling molecules that function to alert the immune system of a developing infection. When interferons are deactivated by autoantibodies, viruses like the novel coronavirus are able to evade the body’s early warning alarms.
