REGEN-COV may be able to provide immediate passive immunity to those at high risk of infection, in contrast to active vaccines that take weeks to provide protection, the company said.
“These data using REGEN-COV as a passive vaccine suggest that it may both reduce transmission of the virus as well as reduce viral and disease burden in those who still get infected,” said George Yancopoulos, president and chief scientific officer of Regeneron.The drugmaker also expects REGEN-COV to help people who respond poorly to vaccination.
During the trial, jointly run by Regeneron and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, one death and a Covid-19 related hospitalization were reported among those who received placebo, but there was no such incident in the treatment group, the company said. REGEN-COV is also being studied in two late-stage hospitalized patient trials and a late-stage trial for the treatment of non-hospitalized patients.