New biologic protects immunocompromised from COVID-19: studies
AstraZeneca’s long-acting monoclonal antibody can also be used to prevent disease progression, trials suggest
A novel therapy developed by AstraZeneca provides robust protection against severe COVID-19, potentially providing a prophylactic for people who fail to respond to vaccination, new data show.
The company has announced that the long-acting therapy, dubbed AZD7442, could be used for the prevention or for treatment of mild disease and could be particularly useful for severely immunocompromised patients.
The therapy is derived from immune B-cells from those who have recovered from SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Results from two phase III trials — dubbed PROVENT and TACKLE — which are yet to be published in a peer-reviewed journal, suggest the therapy protects against severe disease and death for at least six-to-nine months following administration.
