AstraZeneca’s antibody cocktail therapy successful at preventing COVID-19: Study

AstraZeneca, a UK-based biopharmaceutical company, on August 20, 2021, announced that its PROVENT Phase-III prophylaxis trial of its antibody cocktail therapy AZD7442, a combination of two long-acting antibodies (LAAB), met the primary goal of preventing COVID-19 in late-stage cases.

In its trial, AstraZeneca showed that antibody cocktail AZD7442 reduced the risk of developing symptomatic COVID-19 in high-risk people by 77 per cent. More than 75 per cent of participants had chronic conditions, including a reduced immune response to vaccination.

What is antibody cocktail therapy AZD7442?

•AZD7442 is a combination of two long-acting antibodies (LAAB) that have been extracted from the B-cells donated by recovering COVID-19 patients.

•The Vanderbilt University Medical Center discovered its first and licensed it to AstraZeneca in 2020 for human monoclonal antibodies study.

•AstraZeneca with its YTE half-life extension technology optimized AZD7442 thereby enabling it to offer protection from COVID-19 up to 12 months. The extension technology enhances the durability of AZD7442 compared to conventional antibodies.

How does antibody cocktail therapy AZD7442 work?

•AZD7442 is administered through intramuscular injection in a single dose. The human monoclonal antibodies bind to distinct sites on the spike protein of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in the patient.

What is PROVENT Phase-III prophylaxis trial?

•PROVENT Phase-III prophylaxis trial is being conducted by AstraZeneca to assess the efficacy and safety of a single dose of AZD7442 in the prevention of COVID-19.

•Data from the preclinical experiments published in Nature journal in 2020 showed that the LAABs were efficient at blocking the binding of the SARS-CoV-2 virus to human host cells and offered protection against infection.

•AstraZeneca is working out details with governments across the world to make AZD7442 accessible to high-risk populations once approved and rolled out.

When will antibody cocktail therapy AZD7442 be available?

•AstraZeneca will work on regulatory submission of the PROVENT Phase-III prophylaxis trial data to health authorities for emergency use authorization or conditional approval of AZD7442.