New coronavirus infection in newborns: clinical and epidemiological features, efficacy of therapy with recombinant interferon α-2b
Authors:   V. F.Voino-Yasenetsky Krasnoyarsk State Medical University, Krasnoyarsk, Russian Federation, Martynova G.P. , Stroganova M.A. ,   V. F.Voino-Yasenetsky Krasnoyarsk State Medical University, Krasnoyarsk, Russian Federation, Chudakov A.K. ,   V. F.Voino-Yasenetsky Krasnoyarsk State Medical University, Krasnoyarsk, Russian Federation, Malinovskaya V.V. ,   N.F.Gamaleуа National Research Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology, Moscow, Russian Federation, Shuvalov A.N. ,   N.F.Gamaleуа National Research Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology, Moscow, Russian Federation, Belkina A.B. ,   Krasnoyarsk Interdistrict Children's Clinical Hospital No 1, Krasnoyarsk, Russian Federation, Karasev A.V. ,   Krasnoyarsk Interdistrict Children's Clinical Hospital No 1, Krasnoyarsk, Russian Federation
Published: March 2024

The purpose of the study: to study the clinical and epidemiological features of COVID-19 in newborns and to evaluate the efficacy and safety of combination therapy with Viferon® rectal suppositories and Viferon® gel for external and topical use in the treatment of a moderate form of the disease. Patients and methods. An open, continuous, prospective, randomized clinical trial of the clinical and epidemiological features of COVID-19 in 91 newborns from 1 to 28 days of age. Newborns with a moderate form of COVID-19 (45 people) were randomized into 2 groups: children of the main group (23 people) as part of complex therapy received Viferon® rectal suppositories 150,000 IU 2 times a day in combination with Viferon® gel 36,000 IU/g applied on the mucous membrane of the nasal passages 5 times/day, for 10 days. Patients in the control group (22 people), comparable in gestational age and clinical manifestations, were prescribed Grippferon nasal drops 10,000 IU/ml. 1 drop in each nasal passage 5 times/day. The criteria for the effectiveness of the therapy were the timing of relief of the main clinical symptoms of the disease and the elimination of the viral antigen in samples from the nasopharynx. Results. The median age of the patients was 9 [3; 19] days. 20% of newborns had perinatal contact with the mother of a patient with COVID-19, the rest of the children had contact with patients after delivery in the maternity hospital, or after discharge. The clinical picture of COVID-19 in newborns is non-specific, mainly represented by symptoms of respiratory tract lesions with the development of moderate (49.5%) and mild (48.5%) forms of the disease. Pneumonia was diagnosed in 24.2% of patients. Combination therapy with Viferon® drugs significantly reduces the duration of the main clinical symptoms of the disease, reduces the time of elimination of SARS-CoV-2 from the nasopharyngeal mucosa by 4.5 days, which leads to a reduction in hospital stay to 10 days [8; 12] days in the main group, compared with 15 days [7; 29] in the control group. Conclusion. The high therapeutic efficacy and safety of Viferon® rectal suppositories in combination with gel Viferon® for external and local use allows us to recommend their use in the treatment of newborns with COVID-19. Key words: COVID-19, newborns, recombinant interferon α-2b, therapy