Specifically, the statement noted that a Phase 3 trial of the drug will assess its ability to prevent coronavirus infection among uninfected people who have had close contact with an infected person, such as a patient’s housemate. According to Regeneron, the phase 3 prevention trial is being conducted at around 100 sites and is expected to include 2,000 patients across the United States.
According to Regeneron, the drug also went into the Phase 2/3 part of two trials that test its ability to treat inpatients and outpatients with Covid-19. These trials will involve 1,850 inpatients and 1,050 outpatients, and are expected to be conducted at 150 sites in the United States, Brazil, Mexico, and Chile.
“We are conducting simultaneous adaptive trials to move forward as quickly as possible to provide a potential solution to prevent and treat COVID-19 infections, even in the midst of an ongoing global pandemic,” said Dr. George D. Yancopoulos, co-founder, Regeneron president and chief scientific officer, said in the company’s press release.
The statement also noted that the trial is being run in conjunction with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health.
Antibodies are proteins that the body produces naturally to protect it from a threat like Covid-19. To make what’s called monoclonal antibodies for an antibody cocktail, scientists analyze thousands of antibodies to find out which ones fight the new coronavirus most effectively.
In this case, the Regeneron scientists took two antibodies, expanded them, and put them into a drug that they hope can be used to treat symptoms and possibly even work as protection for vulnerable communities like the elderly or healthcare workers.
Regeneron is not the first company to obtain Covid-19 antibody therapy in human trials. Eli Lilly and AbCellera began testing their antibody treatment on humans on June 1. There are a handful of other companies working on additional antibody therapies.
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