UK clears new COVID drug that cuts death risk in vulnerable adults by 79%

The UK’s drugs watchdog has authorised Xevudy (sotrovimab), a monoclonal antibody made by GSK and Vir Biotechnology, for people with mild to moderate COVID at high risk of developing severe disease, The Guardian has reported.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) approved the treatment after trials found that it slashed the likelihood of hospital admission and death in high-risk adults by 79 per cent.

GSK and Vir Biotechnology were reported to have said that preclinical data showed the drug “retains activity against key mutations of the new Omicron Sars-CoV-2 variant”.

The UK government has ordered about 1 lakh doses of the drug – the second monoclonal antibody treatment to be approved by the MHRA following Ronapreve.

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Xevudy is administered intravenously over 30 minutes and is approved for people aged 12 and over. It works by binding to the spike protein on the outside of the coronavirus, which prevents the virus from attaching to and entering human cells, so it cannot replicate in the body. It is most effective when taken early in the illness, ideally within five days of symptoms appearing.

According to the MHRA, it is working to establish effectiveness of the treatment against the new Omicron variant.

The Guardian quoted Dr June Raine, the MHRA chief executive, as saying: “I am pleased to say that we now have another safe and effective COVID treatment, Xevudy (sotrovimab), for those at risk of developing severe illness. This is yet another therapeutic that has been shown to be effective at protecting those most vulnerable… and signals another significant step forward in our fight against this devastating disease.”