AstraZeneca doses first participants in phase 1 clinical trial for COVID-19 treatment

A phase 1 clinical trial for AZD7442, a combination monoclonal antibody treatment for COVID-19 licensed by AstraZeneca, began this week for 48 healthy participants in the United Kingdom.

Throughout the study, researchers will assess the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics of the combination. All participants are between 18 and 55 years old. The trial itself will be randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, and based on dose escalation. Data from it should be available before the year is out.

“This trial is an important milestone in the development of our monoclonal antibody combination to prevent or treat COVID-19,” Mene Pangalos, executive vice president of BioPharmaceuticals R&D, said. “This combination of antibodies, coupled to our proprietary half-life extension technology, has the potential to improve both the effectiveness and durability of use in addition to reducing the likelihood of viral resistance.”

The monoclonal antibodies combined to form AZD7442 were both procured from patients infected by SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. They mimic natural antibodies to make a preventative for those exposed to the virus and a treatment for those who already have it. Preclinical studies have shown indications the antibodies could block SARS-CoV-2 from binding to host cells and thereby block its infection.

Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center originally discovered the antibodies. These latest efforts at study are funded by the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority. Should the results prove favorable, AstraZeneca will pursue phase 2 and 3 trials to further evaluate the treatment’s efficacy.