Antiviral cocktail of antibodies

In Britain, a drug is being tested that gives instant immunity to covid

Georgy Golovanov, Hi-tech+

Antibody treatment will provide instant immunity to the disease in patients in intensive care wards, as well as protect residents of nursing homes and those who come into contact with infected.

The drug is being developed by specialists from University College London Hospitals (UCLH) and AstraZeneca, a pharmaceutical company that, together with Oxford University, has created one of the coronavirus vaccines. The team hopes that the tests will show the effectiveness of the antibody cocktail and protective properties against COVID-19 for 6-12 months, according to a press release from UCLH doses first patient in the world in Covid-19 antibody trial.

"If we can prove that this therapy works and protects people exposed to the virus from developing COVID-19, it will be a great addition to the arsenal of weapons that are being developed to fight this terrible virus," said Catherine Houlihan, a virologist at UCLH, who leads the study.

The drug consists of a combination of long-acting AZD7442 antibodies, which were developed at AstraZeneca. Instead of antibodies that the body produces in response to infection, AZD7442 uses monoclonal antibodies created in the laboratory.

If the drug is approved, it will be prescribed to those who have been in contact with infected people in the last eight days. If successful, the use of the drug may begin in March or April 2021.

Tests are being conducted at UCLH, a number of other hospitals in Britain and in hundreds of clinics around the world. To begin with, the experimental drug was injected into ten volunteers – mainly medical staff and students.

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