RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK – Drug giant GlaxoSmithKline and partner Vir Biotechnology have landed a $1 billion contract from the US government to help fight the ongoing COVID-19 scourge with an antibody for use in early-stage COVID treatment.
The deal was announced early Wednesday.
GSK notes that the antibody called sotrovimab “reduces hospitalisation and risk of death by 79% in adults with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 who are at high risk of progression to severe disease” based on clinical trial data.
it also shows “activity against the Delta variant” of COVID and “other variants being monitored.”
To date, the treatment has been granted Emergency Use Authoridzation by the FDA.
“GSK will supply these doses to the US government by December 17, 2021, enabling further expanded nationwide access to sotrovimab for patients,” GSK noted. The US also has options for future purchases.
Dr. Hal Barron, Chief Scientific Officer and President R&D, GSK, pointed out: “Given the large number of patients who continue to become ill with COVID-19 across many regions in the US, there is an ongoing need for access to effective treatments. We are proud to work with the US government to help make sotrovimab available for these patients.”
So far GSK and Vir have made agreements to sell some 750,000 of the treatment worldwide. It’s described as a “single-dose intravenous (IV) infusion SARS-CoV-2 monoclonal antibody” that “can be used for the treatment of mild-to-moderate COVID-19 in adults and paediatric patients (12 years of age and older weighing at least 40 kg) with positive test results for COVID-19, and who are at high risk for progression to severe COVID-19, including hospitalisation or death.”
GSK maintains an R&D operation in the Triangle and a manufacturing plant in Zebulon.
