Antibody cocktail helped lower risk of severe illness of COVID-19: Study

World: AstraZeneca's (AZN.L) investigational drug COVID-19 helped lower the risk of severe illness or death in an advanced study, the UK drugmaker said on Monday, a boost to its efforts to develop coronavirus drugs ahead of vaccines. The drug, a cocktail of two antibodies described AZD7442, decreased the risk of severe COVID-19 or death by 50% in outpatients who had symptoms for seven days or less, achieving the primary goal of the study. AstraZeneca's therapy, given by injection, is the beginning of its kind to show promise both as preventative medication and as a remedy for COVID-19 following various trials. It is designed to defend people who do not have a powerful enough immune response to vaccines.

"These positive outcomes reveal that a practical intramuscular dose of AZD7442 could play an important role in the fight against this devastating pandemic," Hugh Montgomery, principal investigator of the trial, stated in a statement.

Related therapies made with a class of drugs called monoclonal antibodies are in development by Regeneron (REGN.O), Eli Lilly (LLY.N) and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK.L) with its partner Vir (VIR.O). These treatments are approved for emergency treatment in the United States for the treatment of mild to moderate COVID-19.

Last week, AstraZeneca, whose COVID-19 vaccine has been widely used worldwide, asked US regulators to grant emergency use authorization for AZD7442 as a preventative treatment.

AstraZeneca is presenting data from several AZD7442 studies to global health regulators, a spokeswoman told on Monday.

"We will continue discussions with regulators around this new data," she said of the results of Monday's trial.

The trial took place in 13 countries and involved more than 900 adult participants, half receiving AZD7442 and the rest receiving placebo. Full trial outcomes will be submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed publication, AstraZeneca announced.

AZD7442 comprises lab-made antibodies designed to stay in the body for months to contain the virus if infected. A vaccine, on the other hand, relies on an intact immune system to develop targeted antibodies and anti-infective cells.

“Early intervention with our antibody can dramatically reduce progression to serious illness, with continued strength for longer than six months,” stated Mene Pangalos, executive vice president of AstraZeneca.

While Monday's outcomes include the use of AZD7442 in out-of-hospital patients, a separate trial is also studying its use as a treatment for hospitalized COVID-19 cases.

Another antibody cocktail methods for COVID-19 have shown varying degrees of success.

Regeneron therapy has shown 72% protection against symptomatic infection in the first week, and 93% thereafter. GSK-Vir showed a 79% reduction in the risk of hospitalization or death from any cause, while Lilly's therapy displayed a 70% decrease in viral load on the seventh day compared to a placebo.