The drug is easier and cheaper to manufacture than antibodies.
(Photo: via REUTERS)
Frankfurt The arsenal of drugs against Covid-19 should continue to grow in the next few weeks. Both the British Astra-Zeneca and the US group Merck & Co are seeking emergency approvals for their new developments.
Astra-Zeneca presented positive data on Monday for its therapy AZD-7442, which consists of the combination of two antibodies with an extended duration of action. The agent then reduces the risk of severe disease and death by around 50 percent. The pharmaceutical company now wants to discuss the data with the regulatory authorities in the USA and Europe.
As early as October 5th, Astra-Zeneca applied for emergency approval in the USA for the prophylactic use of the active ingredient combination, i.e. for people who are not yet ill. If approved, the drug would be the fourth antibody preparation against Covid, after similar active ingredients from Eli Lilly, Regeneron and Glaxo-Smithkline had already received emergency approvals.
Astra-Zeneca tested the therapy in a study with around 860 participants who suffered from Covid in the early phase. Severe courses or deaths occurred in 18 participants in the AZD-7442 group and in 35 people in the slightly larger placebo group. The result was even better when used within five days of the onset of the disease.
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In the meantime, the US group Merck & Co has also applied for emergency approval for its antiviral agent molnupiravir. In a larger study, he had also shown a risk reduction of around 50 percent for severe disease courses and also strong evidence for a strong reduction in mortality.
Tablet offers advantages over infusion or syringe
In contrast to the antibody preparations and the already approved Covid drug Remdesivir, which all have to be administered as an infusion or injection, molnupiravir can be taken as a tablet. This in turn is considered a major advantage for the active ingredient, as it tends to be easier to use in the early phase of Covid diseases than the antibodies. The Merck & Co treatment regimen calls for two tablets to be taken every five days.
Another advantage for the agent is that it is produced with the help of classical chemical synthesis and is therefore easier and more cost-effective to produce than the antibodies. Antibodies are complex proteins that can only be produced biotechnologically with the help of special cell cultures. Mass production is therefore comparatively complex and requires long lead times. With a price of around $ 700 per treatment, molnupiravir is considered to be significantly cheaper than the antibody preparations, some of which cost more than $ 2,000.
Merck & Co is also aiming for rapid approval in other regions. Everything will be done to make the drug available to patients around the globe as quickly as possible, announced CEO Robert Davis.
In addition to the US government, which has already ordered tablets for 1.7 million patients, a number of Asian countries, including Korea and Singapore, have already ordered larger quantities of the product in advance. In total, Merck & Co plans to produce enough doses to treat ten million people this year.
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