Patients set to receive therapy in clinical trial

An antibody treatment that could less en the impact of Covid-19 is to be trialled on patients in UK hospitals.

The Recovery trial, co-ordinated by the University of Oxford, will assess the impact of giving patients REGN-COV2 alongside usual standard care to see if it lessens the severity of Covid-19 and reduces deaths.

In June, the Recover y trial, which includes 176 UK hospital sites, found that a cheap steroid called dexamethasone could save the lives of people with severe Covid infection.

In the new phase 3 study, at least 2,000 patients will be randomly allocated to receive REGN-COV2 plus usual care, and the results will be compared with at least 2,000 patients not on the therapy.

REGN-COV2, which was created by the US firm Re gene ron, is made up of two monoclonal antibodies( REG N 10933 and REGN10987).

These are man-made antibodies that act like human antibodies in the immune system.

The cocktail of drugs targets two components in the spike protein of the Covid-19 virus with the aim of interrupting its ability to infect.