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Even as AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine awaits a regulatory go-ahead in the US, another product from the company makes inroads into the country.
Building on an existing agreement, AZ is set to supply to the US Government up to 500,000 additional doses of AZD7442, a long-acting antibody (LAAB) combination, which is in late-stage development, for the prevention and the treatment of Covid-19, AZ said.
The value of the extended agreement is $205 million and depends on AZD7442 receiving Food and Drug Administration Emergency Use Authorisation in post-exposure prophylaxis -- the ability to prevent COVID-19 in people who have confirmed exposure to the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The total value of current agreements with the US Government for the development and supply of AZD7442 in 2021 is about $726 million, the company said.
The latest agreement with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Department of Defense (DoD) builds on an existing agreement inked in October last year, for the support of the late-stage development of AZD7442 and for the supply of an initial 100,000 doses of the LAAB combination. It included the option to acquire additional doses in 2021, the company said.
AZ has a separate agreement to supply the DoD with 100,000 doses, bringing potential US supplies of AZD7442 to 700,000 in 2021.
Vaccine pending
The development comes even as its Covid-19 vaccine with the Oxford University is to get a greenlight in the US. Other countries across the world are rolling out this vaccine, though over 10 countries in Europe have stopped vaccinations using this product following blood-clots in the recipient. A review report from the European Medicines Agency and the World Health Organization is expected today.
On the latest agreement, Pascal Soriot, AZ Chief Executive Officer, said, “The long-acting antibody combination has the potential to offer almost immediate protection to those who are not able to be vaccinated, to both prevent infection or treat the disease in patients already infected with the virus.”
Late stage trials
AZD7442 is currently being evaluated for the prevention and treatment of Covid-19 in late-stage trials in more than 9,000 participants around the world. It is a combination of two LAABs derived from convalescent patients after SARS-CoV-2 infection. Discovered by Vanderbilt University Medical Center, it was licensed to AstraZeneca in June 2020 , the company said.
The two-LAAB combination has been engineered with AstraZeneca’s proprietary half-life extension technology which triples the durability of its action compared to conventional antibodies. The combination of LAABs is also designed to reduce the risk of resistance developed by the SARS-CoV-2 virus and its variants, AZ said.
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