Antibody cocktail trials bring hope

An antibody cocktail is now beginning late-stage clinical trials to evaluate its ability to prevent and treat coronavirus infection.

The biotechnology company Regeneron announced the late-stage clinical trials of REGN-COV2, its investigational double antibody cocktail for the treatment and prevention of Covid-19, in a news release on Monday.

Entering these late-stage trials means that the drug already has shown positive results in earlier trials in humans assessing safety, which began in June. The Phase 1 safety results included an initial cohort of 30 hospitalized and non-hospitalized patients with Covid-19, according to Regeneron.

Regeneron is not the first company to get a Covid-19 antibody therapy into human trials. Eli Lilly and AbCellera began testing their antibody treatment in humans on June 1. There are a handful of other companies working on additional antibody therapies, as well.

These therapies have been mentioned quite frequently by top public health officials as possible big steps to bridge the gap in therapeutics. Right now, other medications are being repurposed because they have seen beneficial impacts on coronavirus patients. But these antibody cocktails are specifically for treating this coronavirus. The hope is that these targeted therapies can bridge the gap until a vaccine is found.