An Open-label Randomized Controlled Trial on Interferon β-1b and Hydroxychloroquine Combination Versus Hydroxychloroquine Alone, as Treatment for COVID-19 Infection

The novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), is a single-stranded RNA coronavirus. The virus was first isolated from patients presented with pneumonia in Wuhan in December 2019. Sequences of the Wuhan betacoronavirus show similarities to betacoronaviruses found in bats, sharing a common ancestor with the 2003 SARS coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and the bat coronavirus HKU9, a virus found in fruit bats. Similar to SARS-CoV, it is a member of Beta-CoV lineage B. Five genomes of the novel coronavirus have been initially isolated and reported including BetaCoV/Wuhan/IVDC-HB-01/2019, BetaCoV/Wuhan/IVDC-HB-04/2020, BetaCoV/Wuhan/IVDC-HB-05/2019, BetaCoV/Wuhan/WIV04/2019, and BetaCoV/Wuhan/IPBCAMS-WH-01/2019 from the China CDC.

The SARS-CoV-2 has since spread from China to the rest of the world. As of 5 April 2020, more than 1.05 million people been confirmed to have infected by SARS-CoV-2, resulting in more than 500,000 deaths. No specific antiviral treatment for the SARS-CoV-2 is currently available, but existing medication could be repurposed.

Genetic sequencing demonstrated similarity of the SARS-CoV-2 to the SARS-CoV and MERS CoV.2 We expect patients infected with the SARS-CoV-2 will also present similarly with initial upper respiratory tract symptoms including fever, cough, sputum, myalgia and shortness or breath. More severe cases might complicate with pneumonia and required ventilatory or ECMO support. According to our previous studies in 2003 on patients hospitalized for severe SARS-CoV, the viral load peaked between day 7 from symptoms onset and coincided with clinical deterioration of pneumonia and respiratory failure, with majority of the patients required intensive care support. Higher viral load isolated from different human system also correlated with worsened SARS manifestation and complications.

Previously, the investigators have demonstrated that interferon-beta 1b, commonly used in the treatment of multiple sclerosis and lopinavir/ ritonavir, also demonstrated to improve the outcome of MERS-CoV infection in a non-human primate model of common marmoset.

A non-randomized trial has also suggested that a combination of hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin might be effective in suppressing SARS-CoV-2 viral load in patients, despite in-vitro activity was only found in hydroxychloroquine.

Therefore, the investigators propose to conduct an open-label randomized controlled trial on a short course of interferon β-1b and hydroxychloroquine combination treatment for patients hospitalized for COVID-19 infection.