The antiviral remdesivir, as well as anti-inflammatory agents such as dexamethasone or baricitinib, have been demonstrated to improve outcomes in COVID-19 hospitalized patients.

Now, a new study published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine claims that multiple sclerosis drugs combined with the antiviral remdesivir may not be a good option to go ahead with to treat COVID-19 patients.

Researchers discovered that when taken with remdesivir, the drug, known as interferon beta-1a, was no more beneficial than remdesivir alone in hospitalized Covid patients.  

Furthermore, interferon beta-1a was connected to poorer outcomes in a group of patients who required high doses of oxygen.

Interferon beta-1a is an immunomodulator, which is a type of drug that reduces inflammation and protects nerves.

It is currently approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States to treat various kinds of multiple sclerosis.

Interferon beta-1a has been demonstrated in studies to inhibit the replication of viruses such as SARS and MERS, which are cousins of the new virus.

It has also been investigated as a stand-alone treatment for COVID-19, the virus-caused disease, with promising results.

One research, done in Southampton, England, discovered that hospitalised patients who received an inhaled formulation of the medicine had a 79% lower risk of developing serious disease.

Another research in Hong Kong delivered beta interferon and two antiviral medicines to one group of patients and a placebo to the other.

Those who received the combo recovered in around seven days, compared to roughly 12 days for those in the control group.

For this new research, published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine, around 1,000 adults were included in the U.S., Mexico, Japan, Singapore and South Korea.

Half of the participants were given an interferon beta-1a and remdesivir combination, whereas the other half received a placebo with remdesivir.

Researchers looked at time to recovery and discovered that whether a patient was given interferon beta + remdesivir or remdesivir alone, the median time to recovery was five days.

Additionally, the odds of improvement at day 15 were similar for participants in either group. 

Furthermore, in September 2020, the experiment was tweaked to stop enrolling very ill patients who require high amounts of oxygen or mechanical breathing.

This emerged when the independent Data and Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) discovered that individuals administered interferon beta-1a and remdesivir had worse respiratory health than people who did not receive the interferon beta-1a.

The researchers believe the medicine caused inflammation, which “led to more severe respiratory disease” in these patients.

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