AstraZeneca logs upbeat trial results from Covid drug

British pharmaceuticals giant AstraZeneca on Monday revealed more positive results from a trial of a treatment for Covid-19 symptoms.

The drug, made from a combination of two antibodies, achieved a “statistically significant reduction in severe Covid-19 or death” in non-hospitalised patients with mild-to-moderate symptoms, AstraZeneca said in a statement.

The group’s treatment, known as AZD7442, has been undergoing phase 3 or final clinical trials to assess its safety and efficacy.

“With continued cases of serious Covid-19 infections across the globe, there is a significant need for new therapies like AZD7442 that can be used to protect vulnerable populations … and can also help prevent progression to severe disease,” said principal trial investigator Hugh Montgomery.

“These positive results show that a convenient intramuscular dose of AZD7442 could play an important role in helping combat this devastating pandemic.”

The trial involved 903 participants and 90% of them were people at high risk of progression to severe Covid-19.

AstraZeneca’s separate Covid vaccine, developed with the University of Oxford, helped enable Britain’s speedy Covid vaccination drive.