Anglo-Swedish drugmaker AstraZeneca said on Tuesday (June 15) that a study of its monoclonal antibody treatment, AZD7442, did not meet the main goal of preventing symptomatic Covid-19 in people recently exposed to the novel coronavirus.
AstraZeneca says its antibody treatment failed in preventing Covid-19 in exposed patients
STEPANAKERT , JUNE 15, ARTSAKHPRESS: The company said the participants in the trial were unvaccinated adults older than 18 years with confirmed exposure to a person with the coronavirus within the past eight days.
AZD7442 reduced the risk of developing symptomatic Covid-19 by 33 per cent compared with a placebo, which was not statistically significant, the company reported, according to Strait Times.
"While this trial did not meet the primary endpoint against symptomatic illness, we are encouraged by the protection seen in the PCR (polymerase chain reaction) negative participants following treatment with AZD7442," Dr Mene Pangalos, AstraZeneca executive vice-president, said in a statement.
AstraZeneca is also studying the treatment in a pre-exposed patients trial and for preventing more severe disease.
The monoclonal antibody therapy belongs to a class of drugs which mimic natural antibodies the body produces to fight off the infection.
"While this trial did not meet the primary endpoint against symptomatic illness, we are encouraged by the protection seen in the PCR (polymerase chain reaction) negative participants following treatment with AZD7442," Dr Mene Pangalos, AstraZeneca executive vice-president, said in a statement.
