Glaxo says its COVID-19 antibody-drug likely to be effective against Omicron

The companies said Thursday that they had tested a drug called sotrovimab against certain individual mutations found in Omicron, which has now been detected in at least 24 countries, including the US Glaxo and Vir, said the findings were preliminary and they should be tested for To confirm the result would need to be treated against the entire mutated spike protein found in the variant. The companies published preliminary research, which has not yet been reviewed.

The early indication is possible because Glaxo and Vir have previously tested sotrovimab against mutations implicating in other variants. When omicrons were identified by scientists in South Africa last week, and quickly classified as a type of concern by the World Health Organization, the companies sifted through earlier research to find examples where They tested sotrovimab against mutations that are also found in Omicron.

Sotrovimab targets a locus on the spike protein that is also found in other coronaviruses and is therefore believed to be less likely to mutate.

While Omicron contains at least two mutations that overlap with the target site of sotrovimab, unlike earlier variants, previous testing indicated that these differences do not affect the treatment’s ability to bind to the spike protein, According to Amanda Peppercorn, who leads the COVID-19 monoclonal. Development of antibodies in Glaxo.

Dr. Peppercorn said he expects test results against the full mutated spike protein – needed to confirm that the treatment still works well against the Omicron variant – in the next two or three weeks.

Sotrovimab is authorized in about a dozen countries, including the US, which has paid nearly $1 billion for hundreds of thousands of doses.

The development comes soon after Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc., which makes one of the other widely available antibody treatments, said preliminary studies showed its treatment was less effective against Omicron. Regeneron said it was conducting further tests to confirm the finding and had developed alternative antibodies that it thinks will maintain effectiveness against the variant that it can push into clinical trials if needed. .

Eli Lilly & Company, the maker of another authorized COVID-19 antibody treatment, recently said it was still testing its drug after outside scientists said it was not as effective against the new version.

While sotrovimab may be alone among authorized antibody therapies to maintain effectiveness against Omicron, an experimental antibody therapy developed by Adagio Therapeutics Inc. also appears to work well against the new variant, according to the biotech. Like sotrovimab, Adagio’s treatment targets a locus on the spike protein that is less likely to mutate. The Adagio drug is in clinical trials as of late.

Glaxo is already assessing whether it can increase production of sotrovimab, if it is the only authorized treatment that retains effectiveness against the new variant, Dr Peppercorn said.

Antibody therapy, which is part of the body’s natural immune response to the virus, has been shown to be useful in reducing hospitalizations from COVID-19. But scientists say they are among the tools most vulnerable to losing effectiveness against Omicron because they are directed at the spike protein, where most types of mutations occur.

Antibody treatment is given by intravenous infusion or injection and is usually given to people in the early stages of the disease who are considered to be at high risk of serious disease. In a large clinical trial, sotrovimab reduced the risk of hospitalization or death by 79% in people with mild or moderate COVID-19 at high risk of developing severe disease.

Researchers are also racing to find out whether existing vaccines are less effective than the variant. Pfizer Inc., along with partners BioNTech SE and Moderna Inc., which make the mRNA vaccine for COVID-19, are working on omicron-specific versions of their shots, which they say will ship in a matter of months if needed. can be prepared for.

Antiviral drugs designed to prevent hospitalization, including pills from partners Ridgeback Therapeutics LP and Pfizer from Merck & Co., are thought to be less vulnerable to the new variants because they target a different part of the virus. Huh. Neither are authorized by the Food and Drug Administration, although Merck’s drug is likely to become available soon after an expert advisory panel endorsed the treatment.

Early indications suggest that Omicron, which has about 50 mutations – an unusually high number – is more transmissible than other types, although researchers have yet to determine whether it causes more severe disease. .