AstraZeneca antibody drug 83 pct effective in preventing COVID-19

AstraZeneca said on Thursday its COVID-19 antibody drug was 83 percent effective in cutting the risk of people contracting symptomatic illness in a six-month follow-up study, cementing the drugmaker’s lead in developing preventative coronavirus treatments.

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The Anglo-Swedish company said a separate study in patients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 showed that a higher dose of the therapy, AZD7442, cut the risk of symptoms worsening by 88 percent when given within three days of first symptoms.

The latest round of positive results potentially position AstraZeneca as a rare supplier of both COVID-19 vaccines and treatments, with the drugmaker having said the therapy’s “real advantage” was as a preventative shot, rather than as a treatment.

“These new data add to the growing body of evidence supporting AZD7442’s potential to make a significant difference in the prevention and treatment of COVID-19,” Executive Vice President Mene Pangalos said in a statement.

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