AstraZeneca's Evusheld Retains Neutralizing Activity Against Omicron Variant

(RTTNews) - AstraZeneca (AZN, AZN.L) on Thursday said its Evusheld, a long-acting antibody combination for the prevention of COVID-19, retained neutralizing activity against the Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant, according to new preclinical data.

In the study, Evusheld's Inhibitory Concentration 50, a measure of neutralizing potency of an antibody, was 171 ng/ml and 277 ng/ml in two confirmatory tests, which is within the range of neutralizing titers found in someone who has been previously infected with COVID-19.

EVUSHELD's IC50 for the original strain of SARS-CoV-2, previously referred to as the Wuhan strain, was approximately 1.3 ng/ml and 1.5 ng/ml, respectively.

The study was performed independently by investigators at the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research. The work was supported by US government research funds.

Mene Pangalos, Executive Vice President, BioPharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, said: "This study shows EVUSHELD retains neutralization activity against the Omicron variant. By combining two potent antibodies with different and complementary activities against the virus, EVUSHELD was designed to evade potential resistance with the emergence of new SARS-CoV-2 variants. EVUSHELD is the first long-acting antibody to receive emergency use authorization in the US for pre-exposure prophylaxis of COVID-19, in addition to authorizations in other countries, and we are working with regulators on applications for the use of EVUSHELD in treating COVID-19."