Currently available interferons
| Drug(s) by type | Indications and dosage | Contraindications | Safety and warnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type I | |||
| Interferon alpha-2a (Roferon-A) Peg-interferon alpha-2a (Pegasys) | CHC, hairy cell leukemia, chronic myelogenous leukemia; dose depends on indication, SC CHC, cirrhosis, CHC-HIV coinfection, chronic hepatitis B; 180 µg/week SC | ||
| Peg-interferon alpha-2b (Pegintron) Peg-interferon alpha-2b (Sylatron) Interferon alpha-2b (Intron-A) | CHC (in adults 1.5 µg/kg/week SC), polycythemia vera, essential thrombocytopenia Adjuvant treatment of melanoma; 6 µg/kg/week for 8 doses followed by 3 µg/kg/week SC Infectious (chronic hepatitis B and C, AIDS-related Kaposi sarcoma), hematologic (hairy cell leukemia, polycythemia vera, essential thrombocythemia, follicular lymphoma), condylomata acuminate, malignancies (melanoma); dose depends on indication, IM, SC, IV, intralesional | Autoimmune hepatitis Hepatic decompensation in patients with cirrhosis, neonates and infants Hypersensitivity | May cause or aggravate fatal or life-threatening neuropsychiatric, autoimmune, ischemic, and infectious disorders Monitor closely and withdraw therapy with persistently severe or worsening signs or symptoms of the above disorders |
| Peg-interferon beta-1a (Plegridy) Interferon beta-1a (Avonex) Interferon beta-1a (Rebif) | Multiple sclerosis; 125 µg every 14 days SC Multiple sclerosis; 30 µg once a week IM Multiple sclerosis; 22 or 44 µg 3 times a week SC | Hypersensitivity | Hepatic injury, depression and suicide, seizures, anaphylaxis, injection site reactions, congestive heart failure, decreased peripheral blood counts, thrombotic microangiopathy, autoimmune disorders |
| Interferon beta-1b (Betaseron) Interferon beta-1b (Extavia) | Multiple sclerosis; 0.25 mg every other day SC Multiple sclerosis; 0.25 mg every other day SC | Hypersensitivity | Hepatic injury, anaphylaxis, depression, suicide, injection site necrosis, injection site reaction |
| Type II | |||
| Interferon gamma-1b (Actimmune) | Chronic granulomatous disease, severe malignant osteopetrosis; 50 µg/m2 to 1.5 µg/kg/dose, 3 times weekly SC | Hypersensitivity | Cardiovascular disorders |
| Type III | |||
| Peg-interferon lambda-1a (Lambda) | Not yet approved (in trial for hepatitis B, C, and D) | Although no synthetic interferon lambda is yet FDA-approved, preliminary results in a clinical trial in hepatitis D patients show that it has the same antiviral potency as type I interferon but is much safer and better tolerated. | |
AIDS = acquired immunodeficiency syndrome; CHC = chronic hepatitis C; FDA = U.S. Food and Drug Administration; HIV = human immunodeficiency virus; IM = intramuscular; IV = intravenous; SC = subcutaneous