AstraZeneca's Antibody Treatment Unsuccessful At Preventing Symptomatic COVID-19 Infection

AstraZeneca Plc AZN reported data from the STORM CHASER Phase 3 trial showing that its long-acting antibody (LAAB) combination AZD7442 did not meet the primary endpoint of post-exposure prevention of symptomatic COVID-19 compared to a placebo.
AZD7442 reduced the risk of developing symptomatic COVID-19 by 33% compared to a placebo, which was not statistically significant, the company reported.
However, the researchers suggest that the treatment may prevent symptomatic COVID-19 in individuals who are not infected with the virus.
The participants in the trial were unvaccinated adults older than 18 years with confirmed exposure to a person with the coronavirus within the past eight days.
Volunteers who became infected up to a week after taking the antibody were 51% less likely to develop symptoms, climbing to 92% if the patient didn’t record infection until more than a week after the injection.
All participants had a negative antibody test when dosed to exclude prior infection.
AZD7442 combines two LAABs – tixagevimab (AZD8895) and cilgavimab (AZD1061) – derived from B cells donated by convalescent patients after the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
AstraZeneca in March announced a deal with the U.S. government to supply up to 500k doses of AZD7442. The company said it is now in talks with the U.S. government regarding the following steps on the deal.
Price Action: AZN shares are up 0.26% at $58.91 during the premarket session on the last check Tuesday.