Emily D. Ellison

Tilorone Hydrochloride: Human Toxicity and Interferon Stimulation

Summary Tilorone hydrochloride was studied in humans to determine whether it would be a safe and effective interferon inducer in man. Both systemic and topical application failed to produce detectible interferon, and toxicity was noted using both routes of administration. This study indicates that even in the high topical doses, tilorone HCl is neither safe nor effective. Poly I:C has been shown to have a very brief, reduced effect in man as apposed to lower animals. The fact that tilorone, a totally unrelated compound, is very effective in the mouse but not in man suggests that the intrferon system in man may not be capable of intense or prolonged exogenous stimulation and that findings in lower animals may not be applicable to man.