AstraZeneca said Aug. 20 its antibody cocktail was 77 percent effective in preventing symptomatic COVID-19 during its 5,197-participant trial.
The treatment, named AZD7442, is a combination tixagevimab and cilgavimab.
At primary analysis, none of the trial participants who contracted symptomatic COVID-19 had severe cases. More than 75 percent of participants had comorbidities, including conditions that cause a reduced immune response to vaccination.
"We need additional approaches for individuals who are not adequately protected by COVID-19 vaccines," Sir Mene Pangalos, PhD, AstraZeneca's executive vice president of biopharmaceuticals and research and development, said in a news release. "We are very encouraged by these efficacy and safety data in high-risk people, showing our long-acting antibody combination has the potential to protect from symptomatic and severe disease, alongside vaccines."