AstraZeneca: AZD7442 Trial for Prevention of Symptomatic Covid-19 Didn't Meet Primary Goal

   By Adria Calatayud

AstraZeneca PLC said Tuesday that a Phase 3 trial to assess the safety and efficacy of a long-acting antibody combination called AZD7442 for the prevention of symptomatic Covid-19 after exposure didn't meet the primary goal.

The Cambridge, U.K.-based pharmaceutical company said AZD7442 reduced the risk of developing symptomatic Covid-19 in unvaccinated adults with confirmed exposure to a person with a case of the SARS-CoV-2 virus within the past eight days by 33% compared with placebo, which wasn't statistically significant.

However, in patients who were polymerase chain reaction, or PCR, negative at the time of dosing, AZD7442 reduced the risk of developing symptomatic Covid-19 by 92% compared with placebo more than seven days following dosing, which suggests that the drug may be useful in preventing symptoms in individuals not already infected, AstraZeneca said.

"While this trial did not meet the primary endpoint against symptomatic illness, we are encouraged by the protection seen in the PCR negative participants following treatment with AZD7442," AstraZeneca's BioPharmaceuticals R&D Executive Vice President Mene Pangalos said.

The company in March said it had extended an agreement with the U.S. government to supply up to 500,000 additional doses of AZD7442 for $205 million, contingent on AZD7442 receiving emergency-use authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Discussions with the U.S. government regarding next steps are continuing, AstraZeneca said.

Write to Adria Calatayud at adria.calatayud@dowjones.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

June 15, 2021 02:39 ET (06:39 GMT)

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