Biotech company Regeneron says that its COVID-19 antibody cocktail reduces the risk of infection by nearly 82 percent for eight months. On Monday, the company announced the results of its clinical trials, conducted in partnership with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Fox News reports. “During the 8-month assessment period, there were 0 […]
Biotech company Regeneron says that its COVID-19 antibody cocktail reduces the risk of infection by nearly 82 percent for eight months.
On Monday, the company announced the results of its clinical trials, conducted in partnership with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Fox News reports.
“During the 8-month assessment period, there were 0 hospitalizations for COVID-19 in the REGEN-COV group and 6 in the placebo group,” Regeneron said in a press release. “The fully human antibodies in REGEN-COV were developed to provide long-lasting protective effects without any artificial mutations or sequences.”
“With infections still occurring despite widespread vaccination, the immunocompromised face an ongoing risk of encountering the virus during their daily lives,” Dr. George D. Yancopoulos, Regeneron president and chief scientific officer, said in a statement. “We intend to rapidly share these additional data with regulatory authorities to help those in most need of protection from COVID-19.”
The antibody cocktail mixes two monoclonal antibodies. Regeneron said that the antibodies bind non-competitively to the virus’ spike protein, specifically the “receptor binding domain,” and therefore also protect against mutant viruses.
Though the cocktail has not yet been approved by the FDA, it is currently authorized for treatment and post-exposure regimens in certain high-risk individuals.
