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HomeWeekly RoundupAstraZeneca may be 'close to a breakthrough' on COVID-19 antibody treatment

AstraZeneca may be 'close to a breakthrough' on COVID-19 antibody treatment

Scientists working on coronavirus treatments may be close to a breakthrough on an antibody treatment that could save the lives of people who become infected, The Guardian says it has been reported.

An injection of cloned antibodies that counteract COVID-19 could prove significant for those in the early stages of infection, according to the British-Swedish pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca.

The report quotes AstraZeneca’s CEO Pascal Soriot as saying that the treatment being developed is “a combination of two antibodies” in an injected dose “because by having both you reduce the chance of resistance developing to one antibody”.

Antibody therapy is more expensive than vaccine production, with Soriot saying the former would be prioritised for the elderly and vulnerable “who may not be able to develop a good response to a vaccine”.

The report says AstraZeneca has signed a deal with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (Cepi) to help manufacture 300m globally accessible doses of the coronavirus vaccine candidate being developed by the Jenner Institute at the University of Oxford.

 

[link url="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/07/breakthrough-close-on-coronavirus-antibody-therapy-reports"]Full report in The Guardian[/link]

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