Coronavirus Antibody Treatment: AstraZeneca Nearing Breakthrough on 'Life-Saving' Therapy for Elderly and Vulnerable Patients
The potential breakthrough in antibody therapy was announced by AztraZeneca two days after it issued a statement to inform that it has begun the pre-emptive manufacturing of the vaccine developed by Jenner Institute at the University of Oxford.
London, June 7: British-Swedish pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca, which came in limelight for starting COVID-19 vaccine production even before final approval from the UK-based drug regulator, now claims to be nearing breakthrough in developing an antibody treatment for coronavirus. The company is coming up with an injection of two cloned antibodies, that could prove to be "life-saving" for elderly patients and those vulnerable due to comorbidities. COVID-19 Vaccine Race: China's Sinovac Sure of '99% Success', Targets Release by 2020-End; Moderna Begins 2nd Phase of Clinical Trials.
A cloned antibody comprises of elements that can instantly empower the body to fight the virus. According to AstraZeneca’s chief executive Pascal Soriot, the injection being tested by them is likely to emerge as a game-changer as they are using two cloned antibodies.
While the COVID-19 virus in an infected patient's body may be resistant to one cloned antibody, it is unlikely to survive neutralisation by the second cloned antibody, said Soriot. "Because by having both you reduce the chance of resistance developing to one antibody," The Guardian quoted him as saying.
The potential breakthrough in antibody therapy was announced by AztraZeneca two days after it issued a statement to inform that it has begun the pre-emptive manufacturing of the vaccine developed by Jenner Institute at the University of Oxford.
The company plans to release more than 300 million doses of the vaccine by September, if the the drug regulatory's approval is received by August. While noting that preemptive production is a risk as the government may red-flag the vaccine is side-effects are found, a top official with the pharma firm said such risks are necessitated to save lives amid the pandemic.
If production begins after receiving the final nod, then it may take another two-three months to finally be ready with the vaccine doses. The antibody treatment, if approved, will be costlier as compared to the vaccine. The former, however, is crucial for the vulnerable and elderly who are unlikely to develop immunity through vaccination.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 07, 2020 05:02 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).