AstraZeneca has unveiled plans to collaborate with regulatory authorities worldwide in the rollout of its latest COVID-19 prevention drug.
This announcement comes after the drug manufacturer announced the global withdrawal of its COVID-19 vaccine.
The pharmaceutical company said on Thursday that the new COVID-19 prevention therapy, sipavibart, demonstrated promising results in reducing infection risk among individuals with weakened immune systems during a late-stage trial.
The new prevention drug
According to the company, the long-acting antibody therapy exhibited a “statistically significant reduction” in symptomatic COVID-19 cases among immunocompromised patients, a demographic comprising approximately 25% of COVID-related hospitalisations, ICU admissions, and fatalities, despite having received multiple doses of COVID-19 vaccines.
- Immunocompromised individuals encompass various groups such as blood cancer patients, organ transplant recipients, individuals with end-stage renal disease necessitating dialysis, and those undergoing immunosuppressive therapy.
- The new COVID-19 prevention drug, Sipavibart, was acquired by AstraZeneca from RQ Bio in May 2022.
Iskra Reic, Executive Vice President for Vaccines and Immune Therapies at AstraZeneca, emphasised the demand for effective COVID-19 prevention options among immunocompromised patients, asserting, “Immunocompromised patients currently have limited or no options for Covid-19 protection and continue to face a significant burden of disease, despite often being fully vaccinated.”
“…we will now work with regulatory authorities globally to bring sipavibart to these vulnerable patients.”
What you should know
The announcement follows the withdrawal of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine, Vaxzeria, a decision that the company attributed to an abundance of updated vaccines available amidst the ongoing pandemic.
“As multiple, variant COVID-19 vaccines have since been developed there is a surplus of available updated vaccines.”
- This decision was preceded by heightened scrutiny surrounding rare side effects linked to the vaccine, including blood clotting and reduced blood platelet counts.
- Acknowledging side effects such as blood clots and low blood platelet counts, the Anglo-Swedish pharmaceutical company submitted its withdrawal application on March 5, which took effect on May 7.
- Concurrently, the Serum Institute of India ceased production and supply of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine, known as Covishield, in December 2021.
- Facing a shifting landscape, AstraZeneca diversified its focus, venturing into respiratory syncytial virus vaccines and obesity drugs following a slowdown in COVID-19 medicine sales.
AstraZeneca is currently embroiled in a legal battle in London, with over 50 claimants alleging adverse effects from the vaccine. While the company refrains from commenting on ongoing legal proceedings, it stated that it remained committed to patient safety and emphasised adherence to stringent regulatory standards.
