Conditions: Upper Respiratory Tract Infections
Keywords: Prophylaxis Treatment Symptoms Winter Colds and Flu
Allocation: RANDOMIZED | Intervention model: PARALLEL
Enrollment: 200
Healthy volunteers: yes

Brief summary:
The aim of the study is to see if lozenges containing a low dose of interferon-alpha can prevent and/or reduce the severity of colds and flu. Starting about 1 month before the expected start of the winter colds and flu season in Perth, Australia, healthy volunteers will allow a lozenge containing interferon, or a lozenge containing no medicine (a placebo), to dissolve in their mouth once a day for 16 weeks. Blood tests at the start and end of treatment will determine whether interferon was able to prevent infections with cold/flu viruses. Once a week, volunteers will complete a survey about their cold/flu symptoms, medications taken, days of work missed, etc. to see if interferon was able to make their winter colds and flu less severe.

Detailed description:

Arms:
arm 1: 150 international units of interferon-alpha arm 2: placebo lozenges

Interventions: intervention 1: interferon-alpha intervention 2: placebo
Intervention descriptions: intervention 1: a lozenge for oral dissolution containing 150 international units of human interferon-alpha taken once daily for 16 weeks intervention 2: placebo lozenges for oral dissolution taken once daily for 16 weeks

Protocol document: