Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. said its antibody drug reduced the risk of Covid-19 hospitalization or death by about 70% in a large clinical trial, the most definitive evidence yet that the medicine can aid recovery early in the course of disease.
Among subjects in a late-stage trial receiving a lower dose of the antibody drug, 1% were hospitalized or died, compared with 3.2% of patients receiving placebos, Regeneron said Tuesday. Study subjects getting a higher dose had a similar risk reduction, the company said.
Regeneron said it would seek FDA authorization for the lower dose after it proved similarly effective to the higher dose currently available. The change would effectively double manufacturing capacity of the medicine going forward.
Regeneron issued the high-level results in a press release. The data haven’t yet been published in detail or in a peer-reviewed journal.
Regeneron’s drug is among a handful of therapies authorized for Covid-19 patients to prevent severe disease and hospitalization. The drugs are targeted at patients early in the disease, when the virus is thought to be most susceptible to treatment.
