Scientists from the University College London Hospitals NHS Trust (UCLH) are studying the possibility of providing instant long-term immunity to patients who are at higher risk. The new COVID antibody drug developed by pharmaceutical giant Astrazeneca promises to give instant protection against SARS-COV-2, the virus causing the deadly COVID-19 that transformed the world in 2020.
If proven effective, this would be another breakthrough from Astrazeneca, which is still waiting for the approval from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency for the COVID vaccine it developed with Oxford University.
Astrazeneca's New COVID Antibody Drug Promises Instant Coronavirus Immunity
According to a Mirror report, Astrazeneca's new drug could provide immediate immunity against COVID-19 to people who are highly exposed to coronavirus.They could be given as treatment to hospital patients, health workers, students, and care home residents to halt the spread of the virus.
UCLH virologist Dr. Catherine Houlihan said that if they can prove the effectiveness of this treatment in preventing people exposed to the virus from developing COVID-19, it would be a great addition to the growing list of drugs, treatments, and vaccines against coronavirus.
Researchers believe the AZD7442 antibody developed by AstraZeneca may provide immediate protection to those who were recently exposed to the coronavirus. They have already recruited the first group of participants for the trial called the Storm Chaser. Scientists hope the trial would confirm that the antibody could provide long term COVID protection that could last from six to 12 months.
Dr. Houlihan also hopes that aside from neutralizing the virus, injecting the antibody treatment can also provide immediate protection from COVID-19, which could save millions of lives, particularly for those who have already been exposed to the virus when administering a vaccine would be relatively useless.
Astrazeneca Storm Chaser: A new way to deal with coronavirus
According to AstraZeneca's Executive Vice President Mene Pangalos, the Storm Chaser trial is a unique approach in dealing with the coronavirus since participants are being enrolled to the program onsite once a confirmed case has been identified. Pangalos who heads the company's research and development for biopharmaceuticals said this aims to prevent the spread of the coronavirus within a care facility, hospital, or the community as a whole.
As of this writing, there are 10 patients who received the antibody treatment since December 2 when the study entered Phase 3 trials. Scientists aim is inject the new drug on 1,125 people across the globe, particularly among key groups like healthcare workers, patients who were recently exposed to people with Covid-19, and students living in shared accommodation. Researchers are also targeting people in the military, long-term care, and industry staff such as factory workers.
If the Storm Chaser trial becomes successful, the treatment will wait for the regulator's approval and reach the market as soon as March 2021.
"AZD7442 has the potential to be an important preventative and therapeutic medicine against Covid-19, focusing on the most vulnerable patients," Pangalos said on a UCLH press release. He added that the new COVID antibody drug would highly complement Astrazeneca's vaccine development.
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Written by CJ Robles
