The first large-scale trial of an experimental antibody treatment on hospitalized COVID-19 patients demonstrated a 20 percent reduction in deaths, the manufacturer Regeneron said on Wednesday.
“The UK RECOVERY trial found that adding investigational REGEN-COV™ to usual care reduced the risk of death by 20 percent in patients who had not mounted a natural antibody response on their own against SARS-CoV-2, compared to usual care on its own,” the release said.
Regeneron’s cocktail of laboratory-grown antibodies gained notoriety with the successful treatment of former President Donald Trump who contracted the novel coronavirus in 2020.
But the UK RECOVERY trial marked the first large-scale test among hospitalized COVID-19 patients, a delay attributed to uncertainty about the value of antiviral therapies in late-stages of the disease, the release said.
“It is wonderful to learn that even in advanced COVID-19 disease, targeting the virus can reduce mortality in patients who have failed to mount an antibody response of their own," Oxford University Professor of Emerging Infectious Diseases Peter Horby said in the release. Horby served as joint chief investigator for the UK trial.
In the United States, Regeneron’s antibody treatment has been granted Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) by the Food and Drug Administration, however the current EUA does not permit the drug’s use in patients who are hospitalized due to COVID-19 or require oxygen therapy, according to the release.
Regeneron said it in talks with the Food and Drug Administration to expand the authorization.
