AstraZeneca's antibody-drug is over 80% effective at preventing Covid, trial shows

November 19, 2021: According to new clinical trial results, AstraZeneca’s antibody treatment effectively prevents Covid-19 in people who may not react well to the vaccines.

The results proved that patients given a single injection of the antibody treatment, called AZD7442, were 83% less to develop symptomatic cases of the coronavirus than participants who had a placebo.

An earlier analysis of the trial, conducted three months after the treatment, had shown that the risks of developing the severe disease were reduced by 77%.

Six months after the treatment was administered, no severe cases of Covid-19 or deaths from the virus were recorded among patients given the antibody cocktail. In a group given the placebo, five participants contracted Covid-19 within six months of the trial beginning, and there were two Covid-related deaths.

Over 75% of participants in the trial had underlying conditions that put them at high risk of contracting severe Covid-19, which include those whose immune systems were compromised and therefore may have a reduced response to vaccination.

According to AstraZeneca, around 2% of the world’s population is thought to be at risk of not responding well to Covid-19 vaccines. This includes people receiving dialysis treatment, undergoing chemotherapy, and taking immunosuppressive drugs for conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis.

The phase three clinical trial was conducted across 87 sites in five countries, the U.S., the U.K., Spain, Belgium, and France. A total of 5,197 people took part, with 3,460 that received 300mg of AZD7442 and 1,737 being given a saline placebo.

The six-month assessment includes data from 4,991 participants, with those who chose to leave the trial to get vaccinated being excluded from the data analysis. Subjects will be assessed for 15 months.

In a different trial, patients with mild-to-moderate Covid-19 who were given one dose of AZD7442 within three days of developing symptoms had their risk of developing full disease reduced by 88%.

Half of this trial’s 903 participants were given 600mg of AZD7442, while the different half were given a placebo.

Ninety percent of those included in the second study were at high risk of developing Covid-19 if they contracted the virus.

The trial’s full results have not yet been peer-reviewed but are set to be submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed medical journal.

Other companies are developing antibody treatments, including GSK, Regeneron, and Eli Lilly. The FDA has granted all three emergency use authorization.

In October, AstraZeneca announced that it had asked the FDA for emergency use authorization for AZD7442 as a preventative treatment. It has not yet been granted.

The pharmaceutical giant is agreeing to supply the U.S. government with 700,000 doses of its antibody treatment if that request is granted. It has agreements in place to provide AZD7442 to other countries.