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AstraZeneca’s treatment with Covid-19 antibodies failed to meet its main goals in the latest trial, while showing it could prevent people exposed to the virus from developing the disease if given early enough.
The Phase 3 study of the AZD7442 treatment found it to be not significantly more effective than placebo. Of the 1,121 participants who had contact with an infected person, 23 on the drug developed symptomatic Covid-19, compared with 17 on placebo.
The treatment is separate from the company’s vaccines, which are used worldwide to protect against the coronavirus.
AstraZeneca has agreed to provide up to 700,000 doses of the antibody treatment to the US government, worth up to $726 million.
However, the AZD7442 results were more encouraging when the drug was given to patients who had not yet tested positive for the virus, reducing the risk of developing the condition by 73 percent.
“While this study failed to meet the primary endpoint against symptomatic disease, we are encouraged by the protection seen in the PCR-negative participants following treatment with AZD7442,” said Mene Pangalos, executive vice president of biopharmaceutical research and development at AstraZeneca .
The treatment is in several late-stage studies with a total of 9,000 participants. Myron Levin, a professor at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, and the study’s principal investigator, said another study called Provent would provide more data on this patient population.
“While vaccination efforts against Covid-19 have been successful, there is still a great need for prevention and treatment options for certain populations, including those who cannot be vaccinated or those who may not respond adequately to vaccination,” said the professor. .
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Antibody treatments from companies like Regeneron and Eli Lilly have been used to boost the immune response of patients with Covid-19. Former US President Donald Trump was one of the recipients of the Regeneron treatment.
But they can also be given prophylactically to people who could get the disease. In a trial involving residents and staff of long-term care facilities, Eli Lilly’s antibody bamlanivimab reduced the risk of infection by 80 percent in participants who tested negative.
The search for drugs to treat Covid-19 has been less fruitful than the rapid development of many vaccines against the disease, with doubts about how well the antiviral remdesivir works.
Antibody treatments have been a bright spot, but they are difficult to administer early enough in the course of the disease to make a difference. With widespread vaccination in the west, the demand for these treatments is likely to fall – and they are often too expensive for developing countries.
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