Study Shows Regeneron Drug Offers Strong Protection Against COVID-19

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BCW member Regeneron was making headlines again this week with a report that the monoclonal antibody cocktail developed by the Tarrytown-based drug maker offered strong protection against Covid-19 when given to people living with someone infected with the coronavirus, according to clinical trial results announced on Monday. If authorized, the drug could offer another line of defense against the disease for people who are not protected by vaccination.

On average, individuals treated with the monoclonal antibody cocktail who experienced a symptomatic infection resolved their symptoms in one week, compared to three weeks with placebo. Infected individuals also cleared the virus faster with the drug. Regeneron’s new data come from a clinical trial that enrolled more than 1,500 people who lived in the same household as someone who had tested positive for the virus within four days. Those who got an injection of Regeneron’s drug were 81 percent less likely to get sick with Covid compared to volunteers who got a placebo.

“With more than 60,000 Americans continuing to be diagnosed with COVID-19 every day, the REGEN-COV antibody cocktail may help provide immediate protection to unvaccinated people who are exposed to the virus, and we are also working to understand its potential to provide ongoing protection for immunocompromised patients who may not respond well to vaccines,” said George D. Yancopoulos, M.D., Ph.D., President and Chief Scientific Officer at Regeneron. “We thank the individuals, investigators and our collaborators involved in the trial, and look forward to rapidly discussing these results with regulatory authorities.”

Regeneron said it would ask the Food and Drug Administration to expand the drug’s emergency authorization, which is currently for high-risk people who already have Covid but are not hospitalized, to allow it to be given for preventive purposes in “appropriate populations.”