COVID-19 Antibody Cocktail Effective At Preventing Symptomatic Infections

An antibody cocktail used as a passive vaccine for COVID-19 has been 100% effective in preventing symptomatic infections, Regeneron announced Tuesday.

The antibody cocktail, REGEN-COV, showed successful results when administered as a preventative measure for people at high risk of infection due to living with an active COVID-19 patient, according to Regeneron.

Of the 400 people who received the cocktail in a study, infections lasted no more than one week, symptomatic COVID-19 infection was prevented and people were around 50% less likely to be infected compared to the placebo group.

“The antibody cocktail is currently authorized for use as a treatment in certain, high-risk mild-to-moderate COVID patients,” Regeneron Spokesperson Alexandra Bowie told the Daily Caller News Foundation.

“The initial supply was purchased by the federal government which allocates it to the states/territories, who then allocate it to hospitals or infusion centers in their region. It is currently available to eligible patients at many locations around the country,” Bowie said.

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Adverse effects occurred more frequently in the placebo trial group where COVID-19 was able to more easily spread, according to Regeneron. One person died and one was hospitalized in the placebo group, and no deaths or COVID-19 related hospitalizations occurred in the group who received treatment.

Around 1.5 million doses of REGEN-COV will be supplied to the U.S. government, according to Regeneron. The treatment provides immediate short-term passive immunity, unlike a vaccine which activates a person’s immune system so that their body will develop its own antibodies over the span of multiple weeks.

The data released Tuesday “was about the use of the cocktail as a preventative (vs. a treatment in already infected people). That data will be discussed/reviewed by the FDA before the cocktail potentially becomes available for that use,” Bowie told the DCNF.

REGEN-COV was found to be associated with a lower disease burden, meaning that patients who had been treated experienced nine viral shedding weeks versus the placebo average of 44 weeks, according to Regeneron. Patients who were treated also reported zero symptomatic weeks whereas the placebo group reported 18 symptomatic weeks.