There is a solution
AstraZeneca's antibody therapy prevents Covid-19 in study
Ludwig Burger & Muvija M
/
Reuters
August 20, 2021 15:15 pm +08
-A+A
FRANKFURT/BENGALURU (Aug 20): AstraZeneca said on Friday its antibody therapy met the main goal of preventing Covid-19 disease in a late-stage study, putting the British drug maker on track to potentially offer an alternative to vaccines for people with weakened immune systems.
The company said the cocktail of two types of antibodies, initially discovered by Vanderbilt University Medical Center, reduced by 77% the risk of developing symptomatic Covid-19, the potentially deadly disease caused by the coronavirus.
More than 75% of the participants had chronic conditions, including some linked to a diminished immune response to vaccination, it said.
The results mark a change of fortune for the drug maker, which reported in June that a smaller late-stage trial failed to provide evidence that the antibody cocktail, known for now as AZD7442, protected people who had contact with an infected person from the disease.
The Anglo-Swedish drug maker, which has faced challenges with the roll-out of its Covid-19 vaccine, is also working on repurposing existing drugs to fight the virus.