The decision is based on changes in the pandemic and further weakening of the recruitment that will not enable a completion of the study in any reasonable time

This double-blinded, randomized study is being conducted to see if the investigational new drug called FP-1201-lyo - intravenous Interferon beta-1a, hereafter IV IFN beta-1a, can help patients recover more quickly from COVID-19 and prevent worsening of the condition. To understand if IV IFN beta-1a can help treat patients with COVID-19, this study drug will be compared to dexamethasone.

Study subjects will be treated daily with IV IFN beta-1a 10 μg or IV dexamethasone for 6 consecutive days while hospitalized and will undergo daily assessments while in hospital for a maximum of 28 days. Study specific assessments will be collected at pre-dose Day 1 through Day 28 (PD and PIM assessments), in addition, clinical routine assessments will be utilized for safety and efficacy assessments.

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Age ≥18 years
2. Positive SARS-CoV-2 test by PCR (polymerase chain reaction) or other diagnostic method within the past 7 days
3. Admission to hospital with respiratory symptoms of COVID-19 requiring hospital care and oxygen supplementation (≤ 8L/min)
4. Respiratory symptom onset no more than 7 days prior to hospital arrival
5. Informed consent from the subject or the subject's personal legal representative or a professional legal representative must be available

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Unable to screen, randomize and administer study drug within 48 hours from arrival to hospital
2. Systemic corticosteroid, baricitinib or tofacitinib (or other JAK-STAT signalling pathway inhibitors) therapy within 7 days prior to arrival to hospital or planned for the next days
3. Known hypersensitivity or contraindication to natural or recombinant IFN-beta-1a or its excipients, or to dexamethasone or its excipients
4. Currently receiving IFN-beta-1a therapy
5. Home assisted ventilation (via tracheotomy or non-invasive) except for Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) / Bilevel Positive Airway Pressure (BIPAP) used only for sleep-disordered breathing
6. Participation in another concurrent interventional pharmacotherapy trial during the study period
7. Decision to withhold life-sustaining treatment; patient not committed to full support (except DNR after cardiac arrest only)
8. Woman known to be pregnant, lactating or with a positive pregnancy test (urine or serum test)
9. Subject is not expected to survive for 24 hours
10. Subject has liver failure (Child-Pugh grade C)
11. Any clinical condition that in the opinion of the attending clinician or Investigator would present a risk for the subject to participate in the study

Adverse events are collected from the signing of consent up to Day 28. AEs occurring after D28 were to be reported only if the Investigator considers there is a causal relationship with the study drug. All AEs up to D90, which lead to death, are reported as SAEs.

All adverse events up to day 28 are reported, adverse events occurring after D28 only if the investigator considers there is a causal relationship with the study drug and all deaths up to D90.

No formal statistical hypotheses were analysed due the early termination of the study with only 5 dosed subjects.

The study will be performed in a double-blind and randomized manner.