ASTRAZENECA’S ANTIBODY THERAPY PREVENTS INFECTION, STUDY SHOWS

Trial data from AstraZeneca on Friday raised the prospect of a new treatment to prevent COVID-19 beyond vaccines, giving hope in particular for people who respond poorly to immunization shots.

The British drugmaker said its new antibody therapy reduced the risk of people developing any COVID-19 symptoms by 77 percent in a late-stage trial.

While vaccines rely on the immune system to develop antibodies and infection-fighting cells, AstraZeneca’s AZD7442 therapy has lab-made antibodies designed to linger in the body for months to stifle the coronavirus in case of an infection.

Similar therapies made with a drug class called monoclonal antibodies are being developed by other companies but AstraZeneca is first to publish positive prevention trial data in the field.

Poor vaccine response

Penny Ward, Visiting Professor in Pharmaceutical Medicine at Kings College in London, said the news bode well for people who have responded poorly to vaccination or who must take immune-suppressants for posttransplant, autoimmune disease and other conditions.

Meanwhile, India’s drug regulator has granted emergency use approval for Zydus Cadila’s COVID-19 vaccine, the world’s first DNA shot against the coronavirus, in adults and children aged 12 years and above.

Three shots

The vaccine, ZyCoV-D, uses a section of genetic material from the virus that gives instructions as either DNA or RNA to make the specific protein that the immune system recognizes and responds to.

ZyCoV-D, which showed 66.6 percent effectivity in late-stage trials‚ is administered in three doses.

The drugmaker said in July its COVID-19 vaccine was effective against the new coronavirus mutants, especially the Delta variant, and that the shot is administered using a needle-free applicator as opposed to traditional syringes.