Throughout 2020, the medical community and much medical research has been centered around COVID-19, a novel coronavirus turned global pandemic. With just around 11 million diagnosed cases, COVID-19 presents both a problem and opportunity for those in healthcare. However, as the number of diagnoses and fatalities continue to rise, it is imperative that a treatment is discovered soon. According to Medical XPress, pharmaceutical company Regeneron is looking to meet this unmet need through REG-COV2, a drug therapy.
The company is soon entering into late stage human clinical trials for REG-COV2. Although there is no cure for COVID-19, REG-COV2 could both halt the spread of the virus and provide adequate healing assistance to infected patients.
REGN-COV2 from Regeneron: A COVID-19 Game Changer?
Regeneron’s drug therapy, REGN-COV2, combines two antibodies to prevent COVID-19 from invading human cells. REGN-COV2 blocks COVID’s spike glycoprotein. Normally, this protein uses its spikes to latch onto cells and forcibly enter them. However, using the two antibodies (sourced from humans and genetically modified mice models), REGN-COV2 may provide strong protection. Additionally, using 2 antibodies makes it less likely that the virus will be able to overtake one antibody or stop drug function.
For the next step in testing, Regeneron will test REGN-COV2 in a Phase 3 clinical trial. The company is partnering with the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). Overall, around 2,000 patients will take part in the trial. Ultimately, the goal is to determine whether REGN-COV2 can stop those recently exposed to the virus from infection.
In another concurrent trial, Regeneron will test REGN-COV2’s efficacy in treating 1,850 hospitalized and 1,050 non-hospitalized patients in different countries.
