AstraZeneca asks FDA to authorize Covid antibody treatment
Excerpt: AstraZeneca, the drugmaker that developed one of the first Covid-19 vaccines, has asked the Food and Drug Administration to authorize the emergency use of a first-of-a-kind antibody treatment to prevent the disease. (…) If authorized, the drug would likely be limited to people with compromised immune systems who don’t get sufficient protection from vaccination. (…) Pangaloa said the company’s long-acting formulation is designed to boost immunity for up to one year, compared with existing drugs that offer a month or two of protection. (…) Late-stage human trials showed that AstraZeneca’s antibody drug reduced the risk of developing symptomatic COVID-19 by 77%. More than three-quarters of the participants had suppressed immune systems due to cancer, lupus and other conditions that made them more susceptible to severe disease. [This may also be useful for those with COVID-19 who aren’t yet symptomatic, if it’s caught by testing early enough. My friend, Wisconsin Bob–a lung-transplant recipient who has already been double vaxxed and boosted–was just diagnosed yesterday with COVID-19. I doubt this can be acted on by the FDA in time to do him much good, but he’s among the toughest old bast,uh, guys, I know. He’ll make it. Alan25main]
