AstraZeneca Antibody Therapy fails to achieve its main goal in latest trial

AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 antibody treatment failed to achieve its main goal in its latest trial, and showed that if given early, it can prevent people exposed to the virus from developing the disease.

A phase 3 trial of AZD7442 treatment found that it was not more effective than placebo. Of the 1,121 participants who had been in contact with an infected person, 23 participants who took the drug developed symptoms of Covid-19, while 17 took a placebo.

This therapy is different from the company’s vaccine, which is used worldwide to prevent coronavirus.

AstraZeneca has agreed to provide the US government with up to 700,000 doses of antibody therapeutics, valued at up to US$726 million.

However, when the drug was used in patients who had not yet tested positive for the virus, the results of AZD7442 were even more encouraging, reducing the risk of developing the disease by 73%.

Mene Pangalos, Executive Vice President of Research and Development of AstraZeneca Biopharmaceuticals, said: “Although this trial did not meet the primary endpoint for symptomatic diseases, we are encouraged by the protection that PCR-negative participants saw after receiving AZD7442 treatment.

The treatment is undergoing multiple late-stage trials with a total of 9,000 participants. Myron Levin, a professor at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and the lead researcher of the trial, said another trial called Provent will provide more data about this patient population.

The professor said: “Although the Covid-19 vaccination efforts have been successful, certain populations still need a large number of prevention and treatment options, including those who cannot be vaccinated or who have not responded adequately to vaccination.

Antibody treatments from companies such as Regeneron and Eli Lilly have been used to boost the immune response of Covid-19 patients. Former U.S. President Donald Trump is one of the recipients of regeneration therapy.

But they can also be given prophylactically to people who may have the disease. In a trial conducted with residents and staff of long-term care facilities, Eli Lilly’s antibody bamlanivimab reduced the risk of infection for participants who tested negative by 80%.

Compared with the rapid development of many vaccines against the disease, the results of finding drugs to treat Covid-19 are not much, and people doubt the effect of the antiviral drug Remdesivir.

Antibody therapy has always been a bright spot, but they are difficult to treat early enough in the disease process to have an impact. With widespread vaccination in the West, the demand for these treatments may decline—and they are often too expensive for developing countries.