Regeneron Antibody Drug Temporarily Protects Against Covid-19, Preliminary Data Show

[question everything]

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. said its antibody drug reduced coronavirus infections by half in people at high risk, a preliminary sign the therapy could be given to temporarily prevent Covid-19. None of the patients receiving the drug developed symptoms from the virus, Regeneron said Tuesday, providing an interim analysis of a continuing study.

Given the drug’s performance, Regeneron said it would discuss the possibility of authorizing the drug as a temporary vaccine with U.S. regulators. Complete trial data from the study is expected early in the second quarter, the company said. Regeneron’s data indicate that antibody-based drugs could help provide temporary protection against Covid-19 as the U.S. and other countries grapple with limited supplies of vaccines. The drugs are thought to provide protection for at least one month. Eli Lilly & Co. said last week that its antibody drug also prevented many infections in a study of nursing-home patients.

(snip)

The Regeneron drug is easier to use to prevent new infections because it can be given as a shot rather than an hourlong infusion. Antibody drugs are lab-made molecules that mimic the natural antibodies created by the immune system to fight off viruses.

(snip)

The data released by Regeneron on Tuesday was from a study of people at high risk of infection because they shared a household with someone exposed to the virus. The analysis included about 400 of the 2,000 people enrolled in the study. Regeneron issued the data in a press release, and the findings haven’t yet been published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal. Among patients who received Regeneron’s drug, 5.4% tested positive for Covid-19, compared with 10.3% of those who received placebos. None of the people taking the drug developed symptoms from the virus, compared with about 3.6% of people receiving placebos, Regeneron said. The average age of patients in the study was 43, and about half were Hispanic and 13% were Black.

(snip)

Separately, Lilly said injecting a combination of two of its antibodies into infected patients with early symptoms of Covid-19 reduced their risk of dying or being hospitalized by 70% in a late-stage, or Phase 3, clinical trial.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/regeneron-antibody-drug-temporarily-protects-against-covid-19-preliminary-data-show-11611676188 (subscription)

[Midnightwalk]

1. I'm skeptical about regeneron being a vaccine replacement

Unless the effectiveness and duration of protection is the same as the vaccines it shouldn’t be treated like one.

I’m also confused why they compare it to an hour long infusion. The vaccines are shots with some (15 minute) observation time for reactions. I assume regeneron would be the same.

It’s good if it can be mass produced as another tool like a stopgap until you can get vaccinated, but some of the wording triggered my bs detector.

[question everything]

2. Ely Lilly's is an infusion.

The drugs are hard to deliver, requiring a one-hour infusion followed by one to two hours of observation. And the people who need monoclonal antibodies are at the most contagious stage of disease, making it tricky to deliver the drugs in facilities like cancer or dialysis centers that commonly deliver medication by infusion.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2020/12/21/monoclonal-antibodies-covid-19-donald-trump-regeneron-lilly/3895201001/

[Midnightwalk]

3. Thanks

I didn’t want to read the article and burn one of my free articles. I read the excerpts with this part in mind

Given the drug’s performance, Regeneron said it would discuss the possibility of authorizing the drug as a temporary vaccine with U.S. regulators.

Thanks for clarifying the comparison. Infusions do suck.