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A new antibody treatment is being tested amid hopes that it can prevent people from developing COVID-19 after being exposed to the disease.
The antibody, known as AZD7442, has been developed by the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca and is being analyzed by the NHS Trust at University College London Hospitals as part of a new trial called Storm Chaser.
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. “
So far 10 people have been injected as part of the trial and UCLH aims to recruit 1,125 people worldwide.
Key groups include healthcare workers, students in shared housing, those recently exposed to COVID-19, those in long-term care, the military, and others such as factory workers.
AstraZeneca is also the company working with the University of Oxford on a possible vaccine for COVID-19, which is awaiting approval for use in the UK.
Meanwhile, another antibody is being tested in the hope that it may help people who cannot benefit from vaccines, such as those with a compromised immune system or those at increased risk of contracting COVID-19 due to factors such as age or health.
The assay for this antibody is called Provent, and it will be tested in volunteers, including older people, people in long-term care, and people with conditions like HIV and cancer.
Dr. Nicky Longley, UCLH infectious disease consultant who leads the university side of Provent, said: “We want to reassure anyone for whom a vaccine may not work that we can offer an alternative that is equally protective.
England’s NHS National Medical Director, Professor Stephen Powis, said: “The NHS’s continuing contribution to pioneering efforts globally 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.”
The news from the trials is presented as the number of people who have died within 28 days of a positive coronavirus test. pass 70,000.
On Christmas Eve, the UK registered its highest daily number of cases at 39,237.
