The Interferon Lambda for Immediate Antiviral Therapy at Diagnosis in COVID-19 (ILIAD) Study found that the therapy significantly reduced viral load in 60 patients with mild to moderate illness and made them 4.10 times more likely to fall below the infectivity threshold by day seven of the onset of illness.

Lambda is a type III interferon (IFN) that stimulates immune responses that are critical for the development of host protection during viral infections. Binding to specific receptors leads to activation of the JAK-STAT signaling pathway and upregulation of numerous IFN-stimulated genes (ISGs).

"This is one of the first randomized controlled trials showing a significant effect on COVID-19 in an ambulatory setting," said study senior author Dr. Jordan Feld in a statement released by Eiger. "We are excited about these results showing that peginterferon lambda accelerates viral load decline in outpatients with mild to moderate COVID-19."