Regeneron has released new data for its investigational COVID-19 antibody cocktail, and the early results are promising.
The first descriptive analysis from a ‘seamless’ phase 1/2/3 trial of the investigational treatment, REGN-COV2, showed that it reduced viral load and helped non-hospitalised COVID-19 patients to recover faster. On top of that, REGN-COV2 also showed positive trends in reducing medical visits.
The promising results come from a large programme investigating REGN-COV2, which Regeneron is also investigating as a treatment for hospitalised COVID-19 patients and for the prevention of infection in people who have been exposed to COVID-19 patients.
The descriptive analysis included the first 275 patients enrolled in the trial, and was designed to evaluate anti-viral activity with REGN-COV2, as well as identify which patients are most likely to benefit from the treatment.
The study included patients from two different populations – those who had already mounted an effective immune response against SARS-CoV-2 (seropositive) and those whose immune response was not yet adequate (seronegative).
Notably, REGN-COV2 rapidly reduced viral load until day 7 of treatment in seronegative patients, with seropositive patients treated with the antibody cocktail seeing a rapid reduction in viral load.
“The greatest treatment benefit was in patients who had not mounted their own effective immune response, suggesting that REGN-COV2 could provide a therapeutic substitute for the naturally-occurring immune response. These patients were less likely to clear the virus on their own, and were at greater risk for prolonged symptoms,” said George Yancopoulos, president and chief scientific officer of Regeneron.
“We are highly encouraged by the robust and consistent nature of this initial data, as well as the emerging well-tolerated safety profile, and we have begun discussing our findings with regulatory authorities while continuing our ongoing trials,” he added.
Although the dataset is relatively small and had not yet been peer reviewed, the results are a promising indication for the antibody cocktail as a potential treatment for COVID-19.
REGN-COV2 entered a phase prevention 3 in July, which is being jointly run by the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).
The phase 3 prevention trial is set to be conducted at around 100 sites across the US, and will enrol approximately 2,000 patients, with the aim of assessing SARS-CoV-2 infectious status.