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LONDON, December 26. / TASS /. A drug that can potentially prevent people exposed to the new coronavirus from developing COVID-19 is now being tested in the UK, The Guardian reported on its website on Friday.
The drug, based on monoclonal antibodies created in a laboratory, was developed by the Swedish-British pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca and University College London hospitals.
“If we can show that this treatment works and prevent people exposed to the virus from developing Covid-19, it would be an exciting addition to the arsenal of weapons that are being developed to combat this terrible virus,” said Dr. Catherine Houlihan. , a virologist at UCLH who is conducting a study on the drug.
Scientists hope that people in high-risk groups will be protected from COVID-19 for a period of between six months and a year. It is also expected to be effective in cases where vaccination is too late, for example if it is offered to someone after close contact with a virus carrier.
The developers expect the drug to hit UK shelves in March or April 2021, if clinical trials are successful and approved by the country’s health regulators.
