AstraZeneca begins antibody COVID-19 treatment trial in the UK

pharmafile | August 25, 2020 | News story | Manufacturing and Production |  Vaccine, coronavirus 

AstraZeneca has started a clinical trial of its antibody treatment designed to prevent and also treat symptoms of coronavirus.

The Phase 1 trial will include 48 volunteers without the virus who will be aged between 18 and 55. Like most first Phase 1 trials, the study will focus on the safety of the treatment and how the body reacts to it.

The treatment is being funded by the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority.

Sir Mene Pangalos, Executive Vice-President, BioPharmaceuticals R&D at AstraZeneca, said: “This trial is an important milestone in the development of our monoclonal antibody combination to prevent or treat COVID-19. This combination of antibodies, coupled to our proprietary half-life extension technology, has the potential to improve both the effectiveness and durability of use, in addition to reducing the likelihood of viral resistance.”

This treatment is separate from the vaccine the company is developing in collaboration with the University of Oxford. Their vaccine began a Phase 2 human trial in India today, which will be conducted on 1,600 people aged 18 and over and will be tested at 17 sites across the country.

Conor Kavanagh