People who receive a combination of two long-acting antibodies seem to build up good protection against Covid-19. That is good news for people who are not responding sufficiently to vaccination against the coronavirus.
It concerns a drug that was developed in the hospital of the Vanderbilt University in the United States and of which AstraZeneca is licensed. The pharmaceutical company will request authorization for the drug within a few weeks. The assessment of such an application usually takes a few months in the United States.
The results of the so-called PROVENT study would show that people who receive the combination of both antibodies are 77 percent less likely to contract Covid than people who received a placebo. In the placebo group, three people contracted severe covid, two of whom died. No one in the group that received the new drug became seriously ill.
The results of the study have been shared by AstraZeneca in a comprehensive press release. There is no scientific publication yet and colleagues have not yet assessed the results.
Underlying Suffering
The study was conducted in 87 different locations in the United States, the United Kingdom, Spain, France and Belgium. Of the nearly 5,200 participants in the study, two-thirds received the new drug and the remainder received a placebo.
The people who received the long-acting monoclonal antibodies were found to be 77 percent less likely to develop symptomatic Covid-19 than those who received a placebo. All conceivable symptoms, including minor ones, are included.
More than three quarters of the research group had underlying conditions, including conditions that cause a reduced immune response after vaccination. More than 40 percent of the study participants were over 60 years old.
Logical approach
Immunologist Marjolein van Egmond of Amsterdam UMC is familiar with the design of the study. She herself is specialized in the application of antibodies. Van Egmond does not expect unexpected setbacks to emerge. “From a biological perspective, this is a perfectly logical approach, it’s nice that it now appears to work.”
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