Safety of interferon β-1a for treatment of COVID-19： a real-world study based on FAERS database

Objective To systematically evaluate the safety of interferon β-1a for treatment of corona virus disease 2019 （COVID-19）， and to provide references for interferon β-1a's clinical application.

Methods This study was conducted with the database from US Food and Drug Administration adverse event reporting system （FAERS） from January 1， 2015 to March 31， 2021. Information component （IC） and reporting odds ratio （ROR） methods were applied for signal mining.

Results A total of 463 700 records of COVID-19 were selected for analysis， and 45 positive drug adverse event signals were detected. Headache （IC₀₂₅=1.09， ROR₀₂₅=2.28）， pyrexia （IC₀₂₅=0.51， ROR₀₂₅=1.51） and multiple sclerosis relapse （IC₀₂₅=3.67， ROR₀₂₅=14.71） were positive adverse events with higher frequency. Autoimmune disorder （IC₀₂₅=4.42， ROR₀₂₅=24.03）， streptococcal infection （IC₀₂₅=4.12， ROR₀₂₅=19.82）， and multiple sclerosis relapse （IC₀₂₅=3.67， ROR₀₂₅=14.71） were positive adverse events. Acute lung injury， cardio-respiratory arrest and metabolic acidosis were associated with a higher proportion and frequency of death.

Conclusion There are certain safety issues with interferon β-1a in the treatment of COVID-19， and some adverse events with high frequency and high death rate deserve further attention by medical staffs.