The United States signed contracts worth approximately US $ 1 billion for the doses of the treatment with antibodies against COVID-19 from the British GSK and the American Vir Biotechnology, securing promising options beyond vaccines.
Pharmaceuticals said US orders bring the total number of doses to be supplied worldwide to more than 750,000, without specifying how many doses of the treatment – sotrovimab – had been reserved by the US government.
Other public deals for the drug include 10,000 doses for Canada and up to 220,000 doses for the European Union (EU). The values of those orders were not disclosed.
Deliveries in USA treatment, with the brand Xevudy, are expected on December 17 and the government will also have the option to buy more doses until March 2022, GSK and Vir said in their joint statement.
While vaccines remain at the center of the long-term fight against the pandemic, treatments such as those including breakthrough antiviral pills from Merck and Pfizer offer options to contain infections and save lives.
Pfizer It said Tuesday it is seeking U.S. authorization for its experimental antiviral pill against COVID-19, which reduced the chance of hospitalization or death for adults at risk of serious illness by 89% in a clinical trial.
The sotrovimab of GSK-Vir has been shown to reduce that risk by 79% in its trials.
Unlike the oral options of Merck and Pfizer, sotrovimab is given by infusion. It belongs to a class of drugs called monoclonal antibodies, which are laboratory-generated compounds that mimic the body’s natural defenses.
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