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A new antibody treatment with the potential to provide immediate protection to people after being exposed to Covid-19 and prevent disease is being tested in the UK.
The University College London Hospitals NHS Trust (UCLH) is studying the use of an antibody that could offer long-term protection to patients when it would be too late to offer a vaccine, as part of a new trial called Storm Chaser.
Scientists have also started a second clinical trial called Provent, to examine the use of the antibody in people who may not benefit from vaccines, such as patients with a compromised immune system or those at increased risk of Covid-19 infection due to factors such as such as age and existing conditions.
England’s NHS National Medical Director Professor Stephen Powis said: “The NHS’s continuing contribution to pioneering global efforts to combat Covid-19 is remarkable.
“These two clinical trials are an important addition to testing new therapeutic approaches, as antibody treatments may offer an alternative to groups of patients who cannot benefit from a vaccine, such as immunosuppressed patients.”
So far, UCLH has injected 10 people as part of the Storm Chaser at its new vaccine research facility after the study entered phase three trials on December 2, with the goal of testing the new treatment in 1,125 people. all over the world.
Key groups in the trial include healthcare workers, students living in shared accommodations, and patients who have recently been exposed to anyone with Covid-19, as well as those in long-term care, military and industry personnel, such as factory workers.
The antibody, known as AZD7442, has been developed by the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca, which has also created a vaccine with the University of Oxford that is awaiting approval for use by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).
UCLH virologist Dr. Catherine Houlihan, who leads the Storm Chaser trial, said: “We know that this combination of antibodies can neutralize the virus, so we hope to find that giving this treatment by injection can lead to immediate protection against the development of Covid-19 in people who have been exposed, when it would be too late to offer a vaccine. “
Meanwhile, the elderly and those in long-term care, as well as people with conditions such as cancer and HIV, will be recruited to participate in the Provent trial.
Dr. Nicky Longley, UCLH infectious disease consultant who heads the university’s Provent section, said: “We want to assure anyone for whom a vaccine does not work that we can offer an alternative that is equally protective.”
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