By Matt Grossman

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Sanofi said Monday they have begun clinical trials to test a drug's efficacy in treating patients with severe Covid-19 cases.

The Phase 2/3 trial, beginning at hospitals in New York, will enroll as many as 400 patients to test the companies' sarilumab drug in patients with severe disease caused by the new coronavirus. The drug is an antibody that inhibits the interleukin-6 pathway, which may have a part in lung inflammation in patients with the disease, the companies said.

Preliminary results from a study in China showed that a similar approach using a different drug were promising, the companies said.

Write to Matt Grossman at matt.grossman@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

March 16, 2020 08:42 ET (12:42 GMT)

Copyright (c) 2020 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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