Publications
Partners
- A new AstraZeneca vaccine may be an effective Covid-19 treatment.
- The injection has been shown to prevent and treat Covid-19.
- AstraZeneca is applying to different approval bodies around the world for emergency use.
AstraZeneca has released a new antibody injection that can effectively prevent Covid-19 and reduce severe illness. The drug is called AZD7442.
Their research is based on two studies. The first is called PROVENT trial for Covid-19 prevention and the second TACKLE trial for Covid treatment. Both are outpatient Phase III trials, according to the pharmaceutical company.
Pre-exposure prophylaxis
The AZD7442 PROVENT trial is the first Phase III trial prospectively designed to evaluate an antibody for pre-exposure prophylaxis of symptomatic Covid-19 that included high-risk and immunocompromised participants.
The trial was conducted at 87 sites in the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Spain, France and Belgium. The study enrolled 5 197 participants randomised in a 2:1 ratio. From the cohort, 3 460 received a single dose, and 1 737 got a saline placebo.
Approximately 43% of participants were 60 years old. More than 75% had comorbidities like immunosuppressive diseases (or took immunosuppressive medications); diabetes; severe obesity; cardiac disease; chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; chronic kidney disease; and chronic liver disease.
TACKLE trial
The TACKLE trial had 903 participants. Half were given AZD7442, and the other half a saline placebo. Of the participants, 90% had comorbidities that put them at high risk of progression to severe Covid-19, including cancer; diabetes; obesity; chronic lung disease or asthma; cardiovascular disease; and immunosuppression.
Prevention and treatment
The results of the PROVENT trial show that one 300mg dose of AZD7442 reduced the risk of developing symptomatic Covid-19 by 83% compared to the placebo group.
The analysis recorded no cases of severe Covid-19 or Covid-19-related deaths in those treated with AZD7442 at either the start or at the six-month point of the trial. During the same period, there was a total of five patients with severe Covid-19 and two Covid-related death in the placebo group.
The TACKLE trial found that AZD7442 reduced the risk of severe Covid-19 by 88% while also decreasing the risk of Covid-related death when treated within three days of symptom onset.
AstraZeneca has applied worldwide for emergency use authorisation or conditional approval of AZD7442 as both a prophylaxis and a treatment.
*For more Covid-19 research, science and news, click here. You can also sign up for our Daily Dose newsletter here.
READ | Covid-19 is surging in Europe: Why is this happening, and should we be worried in SA?
