Comparative assessment of the effectiveness and safety of an interferon inducer in the complex treatment of viral respiratory tract Infections in children aged 3-18 years in real-world practice during the 2023-2024 respiratory disease season

Background. Viral respiratory tract infections treatment, especially during epidemic outbreak, is a main priority for pediatricians and physicians of other specialties. After the COVID-19 pandemic, a need to assess the efficacy and safety of the interferon inductor drug arose due to the changes of respiratory viruses circulation.Objective. To evaluate the effectiveness of drug within the complex therapy of viral respiratory tract infections in children aged 3 to 18 years, in comparison with standard therapy in routine outpatient practice.Materials and Methods. The study included 534 children aged 3 to 18 years diagnosed with mild to moderate viral respiratory tract infections with a disease duration of no more than 3 days at the time of enrollment in the observational program. Standard therapy was prescribed by the attending physician in accordance with current Clinical Guidelines and Treatment Standards. Additionally, Кagocel® tablets, 12 mg, were administered at the physician’s discretion, in doses of 6 or 10 tablets over a period of 4 days. Symptom dynamics, disease duration, incidence of complications, antibiotic prescriptions, recurrent viral respiratory tract infections, and viral pathogen elimination based on PCR diagnostics were assessed. Safety assessment included adverse event recording.Results. Incorporating of interferon inductor into standard therapy reduced the duration of the primary disease and accelerated symptom resolution, decreased the frequency of complications, antibiotic prescriptions, and recurrent viral respiratory tract infections. Complex therapy with an Кagocel® provided twice the effectiveness in terms of viral elimination rates compared to standard therapy without antiviral agents on days 5-8 from the start of treatment. Кagocel® demonstrated a good adverse event profile, with no AEs recorded.Conclusion. The significant efficacy of interferon inductor in the complex treatment of viral respiratory tract infections compared to standard therapy without antiviral agents in real-world practice has been demonstrated. The therapy demonstrated an excellent adverse event profile in children aged 3 to 18 years.