Vir, GlaxoSmithKline Begin Phase 2/3 Study of Covid-19 Treatment

By Matt Grossman

Vir Biotechnology Inc. and GlaxoSmithKline Plc have dosed the first patient in a Phase 2/3 study of the use of a monoclonal antibody for early treatment of Covid-19 patients.

The study will eventually enroll 1,300 patients world-wide to determine whether the monoclonal antibody, VIR-7831, can prevent hospitalization due to the coronavirus.

The companies expect results to be completed in the first quarter of next year, with the possibility of initial results before the end of 2020. Early access to the treatment may be available in the first half of next year, the companies said.

Monoclonal antibodies are cloned from immune cells in a laboratory. Pre-clinical studies of VIR-7831 showed that the antibody has a high potency in neutralizing SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19.

In the study, patients with moderate or mild Covid-19 who are at high risk of progressing to severe disease will be given an intravenous infusion of VIR-7831, aiming to prevent their hospitalization or death.

The companies later this year plan to launch a Phase 2 trial of another antibody, VIR-7832, which also may serve as a prophylactic against the disease.

Write to Matt Grossman at [e-mail]

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

August 31, 2020 09:11 ET (13:11 GMT)

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