Interferon Lambda for Immediate Antiviral Therapy at Diagnosis in COVID-19

Interferon lambda is one of the main arms of the innate antiviral immune response and is critical for controlling respiratory viral infections in mice. Interferon lambda has a better side effect profile than other interferons because of the limited tissue distribution of its receptor. Peginterferon lambda is a long-acting form that has been studied extensively in human trials in viral hepatitis, confirming its safety. We propose to evaluate peginterferon-lambda in ambulatory and hospitalized patients with mild to moderate COVID-19.