GSK and Vir Biotechnology filed an application to U.S. regulators for emergency use authorization of their antibody therapy to treat early-stage Covid-19 infections, the drugmakers said on March 26.
Genentech reported that the company’s rheumatoid arthritis drug Actemra failed to hit the primary endpoint in a Covid-19 trial, while Vir and GlaxoSmithKline’s antibody against Covid-19 demonstrated 85 percent efficacy.
Vir Biotechnology and GlaxoSmithKline plan to seek emergency use authorization for their experimental Covid-19 antibody therapy after interim data from a study showed 85 percent reduction in hospitalization and deaths among patients.
Vir Biotechnology and Britain’s GlaxoSmithKline said on March 3 they would pause enrollment into a study testing their experimental Covid-19 antibody therapy, which is a part of a large U.S. trial.
Laboratory testing found that Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc.’s Covid-19 antibody cocktail can combat a coronavirus variant first found in South Africa, but a similar drug from Eli Lilly and Co. is inactive against it, according to a study.
