British drug giants ramp up battle against Covid
BRITAIN’s pharmaceutical champions have stepped up their fight against the coronavirus as they revealed new treatments and pushed ahead with securing vaccine approvals.
On a day of major developments, Glaxosmithkline said it was joining an NHS study to test a breakthrough antibody treatment.
The drug – known as Vir-7832 – could be a game changer because it may have ‘vaccine-like’ effects that could give patients lasting protection.
Meanwhile, arch-rival Astrazeneca submitted its Covid-19 vaccine to European regulators for fast-track approval – and a decision could be made this month. The jab was approved in the UK last month.
The announcements came as the world approached almost 2m Covid-related deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University, and the UK recorded its biggest number of annual excess deaths since the Second World War.
Scientists have long said that the only way out of restrictions imposed during the pandemic is to develop vaccines and treatments to beat back the virus.
GSK is already developing a Covid-19 antibody treatment, where a patient is given an infusion of antibodies to bolster their body’s immune system, known as Vir-7831. The drug, a collaboration with Vir Life Sciences, is in late-stage trials. But while results from those tests are expected before the end of March, it is also pressing ahead with trials of a second antibody treatment, Vir-7832. The study will see NHS patients who have Covid-19 and show mild to moderate symptoms offered the experimental treatment, to see if it helps to clear the infection up. It is being done as part of the NHS’s Agile programme, which is testing a variety of potential treatments, and will be carried out by five trusts, including one in Liverpool.
GSK said Vir-7832 is particularly promising because, in early, non-human studies, it has an ability to stimulate the immune system’s T- cells and provide added protection against Covid-19.
If this also occurs in humans, researchers believe it could result in a ‘vaccine like’ effect that gives patients lasting protection after the initial therapy.
Dr Hal Barron, GSK’s science and research chief, said: ‘Current infection and hospitalisation rates show that multiple vaccines and therapeutic options will be needed to combat and ultimately end this pandemic.
‘We are grateful to everyone involved in the Agile study for supporting this important research and expect initial results from the study to provide important insights into the use of Vir-7832 early in the course of infection.’ Elsewhere, Astra and Oxford University have applied for their vaccine to be licensed in the EU.
The European Medicines Agency said it could be approved as soon as January 29, ‘provided that the data submitted on the quality, safety and efficacy of the vaccine are sufficiently robust and complete’. The vaccine is already rolling out across the UK.
The agency has already approved two vaccines, one made by US drugmaker Pfizer and Germany’s Biontech, and another by Moderna.
But the Oxford-Astra vaccine is expected to be a key vaccine because of its low cost, availability and ease of use. Astra plans to make up to 3bn doses by the end of 2021.
Yesterday, shares in GSK – which is led by boss Emma Walmsley ( pictured) – fell 2pc, or 28p, to 1367p, while Astra shares fell 2pc, or 151p, to 7405p.