GlaxoSmithKline and Vir Biotechnology's COVID-19 antibody drug sotrovimab resulted in a 79 percent reduction in the risk of hospitalization for more than 24 hours or death due to any cause, the companies said June 21.
The announcement is based on a study involving 1,057 participants with COVID-19.
By the 29th day, 1 percent of participants who received the antibody were hospitalized for more than 24 hours, while 6 percent of participants in the placebo group were hospitalized for more than 24 hours. After examining the data, researchers said that it is possible that half of the patients who received sotrovimab and were hospitalized for more than 24 hours were there for reasons other than progression of COVID-19, while this was not the case for participants in the placebo group.
The National Institutes of Health has authorized sotrovimab for non-hospitalized people with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 who are at high risk of clinical progression.