UK, immediate immunity drug being tested

12/26/2020 World



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British scientists are experimenting a new drug that could prevent people exposed to the coronavirus from developing the disease, according to as reported by The Guardian. Such antibody therapy would confer immediate immunity and could be administered as emergency treatment to hospitalized or at-risk patients.

The drug was developed by the University College London Hospital (Uclh) and AstraZeneca. The team hopes the study will show that the antibody cocktail protects against SARS-CoV-2 for between 6 and 12 months. If approved, it will be administered to anyone who has been exposed to Covid-19 in the previous eight days. May be available from March to April.

The study involves UCLH, several other UK hospitals and a network of 100 sites around the world. The immediate protection that the drug promises – says the British newspaper – could play a key role in reducing the impact of the virus until everyone has been vaccinated. “The advantage of this drug is that it provides you with immediate antibodies – explains Catherine Houlihan, virologist at UCLH -. We could tell trial participants who have been exposed, “yes, you can get the vaccine.” But we cannot assure them that it will protect them from disease, because it is too late: current vaccines do not confer immunity for a month.