China's 1st Covid antibody therapy can also tackle Omicron: Report

Brii Biosciences had, in late August, announced that its cocktail therapy demonstrated a statistically significant reduction of 78 per cent in the hospitalisation and death in phase III clinical trials conducted in the US, Brazil, South Africa, Mexico, Argentina and the Philippines.

It has also been used among more than 700 patients infected in the recent epidemic flare-ups in China, caused by the Delta variant.

The therapy has also proven effective against major coronavirus variants, including the Delta, Lambda and MU variants, according to a report by the Beijing Daily.

With one shot, the antibody cocktail can persist in the human body for about nine to 12 months. Besides the therapeutic efficacy shown in the clinical trials, it can also be used for epidemic prevention.

"Antibody drugs and vaccines complement each other. If people who have underlying or immune diseases cannot take vaccines, they could choose to take this drug instead to get antibodies against Covid-19," Linqi said.

In the next step, the team will investigate the preventive effect of this "antibody cocktail therapy" among high-risk and immunocompromised people, Linqi said.

The main mechanism of the drug neutralises the novel coronavirus, preventing the virus from being absorbed to susceptible cells and thus preventing the virus or its genetic materials from entering cells to proliferate.

Brii Biosciences has also submitted an application for the emergency use approval to the US Food and Drug Administration in October, but it is yet to be approved.

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