GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has said that its Covid-19 antibody drug called sotrovimab, developed with U.S. partner Vir (VIR.O), is effective against the Omicron variant.
The antibody is designed to latch on to the spike protein on the surface of the coronavirus. Sotrovimab is based on monoclonal antibodies, which are lab-made versions of the natural antibodies the body generates to fight off an infection. A single dose of the drug was found to reduce the risk of hospitalization and death by 79 percent in high-risk adults with symptomatic COVID-19 infection.
“Sotrovimab was deliberately designed with a mutating virus in mind," said Vir Chief Executive George Scangos, adding that the drug was targeting a region of the spike protein that was highly unlikely to mutate.
A GSK statement said that lab tests and a study on hamsters have demonstrated the sotrovimab antibody cocktail works against viruses that were bio-engineered to carry a number of hallmark mutations of the Omicron variant.
According to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), ''The antibody treatment was found to be safe and effective at reducing the risk of hospitalization and death in people with mild to moderate COVID-19 infection who are at an increased risk of developing severe disease.''
"To date, sotrovimab has demonstrated ongoing activity against all tested variants of concern and interest defined by the World Health Organization (WHO)," it added.
The UK's drug regulator has granted approval to the antibody-based COVID-19 treatment.
The antibody is designed to latch on to the spike protein on the surface of the coronavirus. Sotrovimab is based on monoclonal antibodies, which are lab-made versions of the natural antibodies the body generates to fight off an infection. A single dose of the drug was found to reduce the risk of hospitalization and death by 79 percent in high-risk adults with symptomatic COVID-19 infection.
“Sotrovimab was deliberately designed with a mutating virus in mind," said Vir Chief Executive George Scangos, adding that the drug was targeting a region of the spike protein that was highly unlikely to mutate.
A GSK statement said that lab tests and a study on hamsters have demonstrated the sotrovimab antibody cocktail works against viruses that were bio-engineered to carry a number of hallmark mutations of the Omicron variant.
According to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), ''The antibody treatment was found to be safe and effective at reducing the risk of hospitalization and death in people with mild to moderate COVID-19 infection who are at an increased risk of developing severe disease.''
"To date, sotrovimab has demonstrated ongoing activity against all tested variants of concern and interest defined by the World Health Organization (WHO)," it added.
The UK's drug regulator has granted approval to the antibody-based COVID-19 treatment.