GSK antibody treatment trial to move onto next phase
Glaxosmithkline’s trial of an experimental antibody to treat coronavirus will progress on to the next stage after initial use by volunteers did not raise any safety concerns.
The pharmaceutical giant, along with partner Vir Biotechnology, started testing the treatment on early-stage Covid-19 patients in August, hoping to keep symptoms from progressing.
The antibody is thought to neutralise Covid-19, kill infected cells and achieve high concentrations in the lungs.
After testing the treatment on 20 participants in the US for safety, it will now expand as planned to 1,3000 patients globally to additional sites in North America, South America and Europe.
George Scangos, chief executive of Vir, said there had been a “rapid achievement of this important milestone reflects the urgency with which we’re mobilising our resources in the hope of preventing the worst consequences of this deadly virus.”
Half the participants will be randomly assigned to a control group which will receive a placebo.
Results could be available as early as the end of the year, while results for the primary endpoint are expected in the first quarter of 2021.
“We believe this neutralising antibody’s high barrier to resistance, notable effector function, and enhanced delivery into the lung suggest it has best-in-class potential in the fight against this global pandemic”, said Dr Hal Barron, GSK’s chief scientific officer.
President Donald Trump received an antibody-based treatment during his spell at the Walter Reed Medical Centre after being diagnosed with coronavrus.
The experimental treatment by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals has reportedly been used in some UK hospitals with encouraging results. Professor Peter Horby, part of Oxford University’s national Recovery trial, said the drug was due to be rolled out to another 30 or 40 hospitals.
Horby told the BBC that the treatment was “quite attractive for the older population” given a single dose can provide prolonged protection for a month to six weeks.