European Medicines Agency examines AstraZeneca antibody cocktail against covid-19

The European Medicines Agency (EMA), the European drug regulatory body, announced that it has begun testing a cocktail of antibodies from AstraZeneca against COVID-19, which could lead to the authorization of its use in the European Union (EU).

The laboratory assures that it can be effective in preventing COVID-19 in frail patients.

Trials have shown that the drug AZD7442, a combination of antibodies, reduces severe symptoms and deaths from COVID-19, the Swedish-British group AstraZeneca reported on Monday.

The decision to examine the antibody cocktail, also known as Evusheld, “is based on preliminary results from clinical studies, which suggest that the drug may help protect against disease,” said the Amsterdam-based EMA.

Months can pass between the start of an ongoing EMA assessment and a possible authorization.

Monoclonal antibodies, which recognize a specific molecule of a virus or bacterium, are synthetic versions of natural antibodies.

They are given to people who have already been infected to alleviate deficiencies in the immune system. They differ from a vaccine because it stimulates the body to produce its own immune response.

The AstraZeneca vaccine is one of four currently approved by the EMA.

The AZD7442 drug trial “produced a statistically satisfactory reduction in severe COVID-19 cases or disease-related deaths compared to placebo in outpatients with mild to moderate symptoms” of COVID-19, according to AstraZeneca.

The clinical trial involved 903 people, 90% of whom were patients at high risk of developing severe forms of COVID-19.

The Swiss pharmaceutical company Roche filed a lawsuit on Monday to market its Ronapreve synthetic antibody cocktail in the European Union.

Last week the EMA announced that in a few days it could begin to examine a pill produced by the US laboratory Merck.