AstraZeneca COVID Drug Neutralises Omicron Sub-Variants

Share Us

608
AstraZeneca COVID Drug Neutralises Omicron Sub-Variants
22 Mar 2022
6 min read

News Synopsis

AstraZeneca released an antibody-based cocktail used for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 on Monday in an independent laboratory study against an omicron coronavirus variant containing a highly contagious BA.2 sub-variant.

This is the first data looking at the effect of AstraZeneca's Evusheld treatment on the "cousin" of the Omicron variant, following the recent surge in global incidents. A British-Swedish pharmaceutical company said in December that another laboratory study found that Evusheld retains its neutralizing activity against Omicron.

According to AstraZeneca, the treatment reduced the amount of virus detected in samples of all Omicron sub-variants based on the data from a recent study from the University of Washington in the United States. This study has not yet been peer-reviewed.

Evusheld was tested against the BA.1, BA.1.1, and BA.2 sub-variants of Omicron and was also presented in the study to limit inflammation in the lungs, which is a critical symptom in severe COVID-19 infections.

Last week, the World Health Organization said numbers showing a global surge in COVID-19 cases could herald a much larger problem as the Omicron and BA.2 variants spread in the midst of restrictions and relaxation of tests.

The COVID drug is also been shown to save lives and prevent diseases progression when given within a week of first symptoms. The therapy has already been authorised by the USA and is currently under a European review.

TWN In-Focus