“In vitro data demonstrate monoclonal efficacy against Omicron variant”

by time news

Preclinical data demonstrate that the investigational monoclonal antibody sotrovimab also maintains activity against key mutations of the new Omicron variant (B.1.1.529). This was announced by the companies GlaxoSmithKline and Vir Biotechnology, reporting an update of the pre-print data on ‘bioRxiv’. The drug is produced in Italy in the Gsk factory in Parma for the whole world, and is already on the list of medicines authorized for emergency use in our country.

The data update comes from pseudo-virus tests on specific individual mutations found in Omicron. To date – reads a joint note – sotrovimab has been shown to be active against all tested variants of concern and interest defined by the World Health Organization (WHO). The companies are now completing in vitro pseudo-virus testing to confirm the neutralizing activity of sotrovimab against Omicron’s combination of all mutations, with plans to provide an update by the end of 2021. “

“Sotrovimab – explains George Scangos, Vir’s chief executive – was deliberately designed with a mutant virus in mind. By targeting a highly conserved region of the Spike protein that is less likely to mutate, we hoped to tackle both the current Sars-CoV virus. -2 that future variants we expected would be inevitable. This hypothesis has been confirmed over and over again, with its continued ability to maintain activity against all tested variants of interest to date, including key mutations found in Omicron, as demonstrated by preclinical data. We have every expectation that this positive trend will continue and are working rapidly to confirm its activity against Omicron’s entire combination sequence. “

“Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have worked with Vir to combine our scientific skills and technologies – comments Hal Barron, Chief Scientific Officer and President R&D, Gsk – to offer a lasting treatment option for patients with Covid-19. Although early, these preclinical data support our long-standing view on the potential of sotrovimab to maintain its activity as the virus continues to mutate. We are pleased that this treatment option is available to patients in the United States and many other countries and we are working to expand access around the world. “

GSK and Vir also report ongoing studies on the use of sotrovimab in uninfected immunocompromised adults to determine whether sotrovimab can prevent symptomatic Covid-19 infection. The companies are supporting research-sponsored studies and fostering scientific collaborations with experienced researchers and networks involved in the continuum of immunocompromised patient care to understand the role sotrovimab for prophylaxis could play in this population. Discussions with regulators on the prophylaxis program will take place in due course.

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