The United States FDA ( Food and Drug Administration) has approved the monoclonal antibody therapy treatment of Vir Biotechnology and GSK ( GlaxoSmithKline) on Wednesday, for acute COVID-19 infections, according to the agency.
It is the 3rd antibody therapy that has been approved to be used in patients who are in the initial phases of the disease and are at higher risk of acquiring serious infections. FDA stated that the medication is “ expected” to protect from different strains of Coronavirus.
In March, both firms stated that an interim analysis had found the medication to be highly effective in minimizing hospitalization and deaths related to Covid-19.
According to some reports, the United States has acquired the medication directly from the production companies and made it available to the patients through clinical and hospital settings.
Vir and GSK, unlike their antecedents, do not have any agreement with the federal government, according to the Wall Street Journal. The businesses will be required to sell the medication on a commercial basis.
The director of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research of the FDA, Patrizia Cavazzoni stated, “With the authorization of this monoclonal antibody treatment, we are providing another option to help keep high-risk patients with COVID-19 out of the hospital.”
“It is important to expand the arsenal of monoclonal antibody therapies that are expected to retain activity against the circulating variants of COVID-19 in the United States.”