Response to pegylated interferon in a COVID‐19–positive elderly woman with primary myelofibrosis treated with ruxolitinib

Abstract

An 83‐year‐old female had asymptomatic SARS‐CoV‐2 infection while taking ruxolitinib. She remained RT‐PCR positive for viral RNA for >120 days, and Pegylated interferon for 4 weeks led to viral RNA clearance. The observations support combination therapy of ruxolitinib + interferon for COVID‐19.

Current utilization of interferon alpha for the treatment of coronavirus disease 2019: A comprehensive review

“…A total of 178 studies were found to have reported IFNα treatment for COVID-19 (Supplemental 2). [13] , [17] , [19] , [21] , [22] , [23] , [24] , [25] , [26] , [27] , [28] , [29] , [30] , [31] , [32] , [33] , [34] , [35] , [36] , [37] , [38] , [39] , [40] , [41] , [42] , [43] , [44] , [45] , [46] , [47] , [48] , [49] , [50] , [51] , [52] , [53] , [54] , [55] , [56] , [57] , [58] , [59] , [60] , [61] , [62] , [63] , [64] , [65] , [66] , [67] , [68] , [69] , [70] , [71] , [72] , [73] , [74] , [75] , [76] , [77] , [78] , [79] , [80] , [81] , [82] , [83] , …”

“…The use of IFNα inhalation was reported in patients with various comorbidities and conditions, including patients with atopic dermatitis, [38] allergic rhinitis, [38] bronchiolitis, [25] chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, [84] , [162] tuberculosis, [55] cardiovascular disease, [22] hypertension, [22] , [84] , [150] , [162] diabetes, [32] , [39] hyperlipidemia, [150] obesity, [126] metabolic syndrome, [192] chronic hepatitis B infection, [76] , [153] chronic kidney disease, [22] , [70] malignancy, [163] liver transplant, [50] kidney transplant, [70] , [172] and pregnancy. [19] The use of subcutaneous injection of IFNα was reported in patients with diabetes, [42] hypertension, [42] , [44] hyperlipidemia, 42 chronic hepatitis B infection, [140] primary myelofibrosis with macrocytic anemia, [44] dementia, [44] chronic kidney disease, [44] Behcet's disease, [190] and osteoporosis. [44] However, whether IFNα treatment is safe and efficacious in COVID-19 patients with these comorbidities requires further clinical studies.…”

“… [19] The use of subcutaneous injection of IFNα was reported in patients with diabetes, [42] hypertension, [42] , [44] hyperlipidemia, 42 chronic hepatitis B infection, [140] primary myelofibrosis with macrocytic anemia, [44] dementia, [44] chronic kidney disease, [44] Behcet's disease, [190] and osteoporosis. [44] However, whether IFNα treatment is safe and efficacious in COVID-19 patients with these comorbidities requires further clinical studies.…”

Response to pegylated interferon in a COVID‐19 positive male with metastatic jejunal neuroendocrine tumor treated with everolimus

“…Early administration of monoclonal antibodies to the spike protein, RNA‐dependent RNA polymerase inhibitor remdesivir and dexamethasone and late administration of enoxaparin may modify the natural history of the infection, 11‐15 but additional treatments are needed. We previously reported the activity of a ruxolitinib plus interferon combination 16 . In this case report, we examine another combination that may show utility for SARS‐CoV‐2 infections.…”