Sanofi's rheumatoid arthritis drug Kevzara has failed to treat COVID-19 in early clinical trials, the drugmaker said this week.
Sanofi, in partnership with Regeneron, had been testing the drug's effects against COVID-19 because the drug is proven to curb inflammation. But the drug didn't significantly shorten patients' hospital stays in a study involving 420 people, Sanofi said.
Sanofi said patients were just about as likely to develop severe infections and die while on Kevzara as they were on a placebo.
Sanofi CEO Paul Hudson has said Kevzara was a "long shot" as a treatment against COVID-19, according to Bloomberg.
Regeneron is also testing an antibody drug cocktail it has developed specifically for COVID-19.