UK Rethinks COVID-19 Antibody Supply Deal With AstraZeneca: Bloomberg

The U.K. government has reconsidered its plan to buy one million doses of AstraZeneca Plc’s AZN anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody, according to sources quoted by Bloomberg.
The rethink comes shortly before the first data from the treatment’s trials that are expected in the coming weeks.
In the U.K., where two-thirds of the population have already received the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, the potential benefits of AZD7442 may no longer hold enough allure to convince the government to follow through on its agreement with AstraZeneca.
AstraZeneca agreed to provide the U.K. with one million doses of its long-acting COVID-19 antibody AZD7442 in November.
The deal announced last year was a non-binding and in-principle agreement. By contrast, the U.S. increased its order for AstraZeneca’s antibody treatment by half a million doses in March, taking its potential supplies to 700,000 in 2021.
AstraZeneca has completed the dosing in Phase 2/3 trials of AZD7442 in prophylaxis and post-exposure prophylaxis settings.
Data from the post-exposure prophylaxis study are due in the first half of 2021, with the results of the prophylaxis study set to follow before the end of 2021.
AstraZeneca was still dosing in an outpatient treatment setting phase 2/3 study as of its latest update.
The company has five advanced-stage trials testing a combination of two long-acting antibodies to prevent and treat COVID-19 in different populations.
Price Action: AZN shares are trading 1.12% higher at $54.71 during the market session on the last check Wednesday.

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