GlaxoSmithKline and Vir Biotechnology, a San Francisco-based drugmaker that focuses on infectious diseases, said Aug. 31 that they have begun a clinical trial of an antibody drug to treat COVID-19.
The drugmakers said the first patient was dosed with the drug last week, and they plan to enroll 1,300 people around the world with early symptomatic COVID-19 in the trial.
The drugmakers will test whether the drug, called VIR-7831, can prevent COVID-19 patients from needing hospitalization. VIR-7831 is a monoclonal antibody, a manufactured version of the antibodies the body develops after COVID-19 infection.
The companies said they expect initial results by the end of this year and full results by the first quarter of next year. They said that the drug could receive emergency use authorization in early 2021.
Read the full news release here.