Monoclonal antibodies could play a vital role in the battle against COVID-19. To date, such infusion-delivered antibodies from Eli Lilly (NYSE:LLY) and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (NSDQ:REGN) have received emergency use authorization from FDA.
Now, a phase 2/3 clinical trial will study the potential of investigational monoclonal antibody therapy for patients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19.
The antibodies, known as BRII-196 and BRII-198, are licensed to Brii Biosciences, a Beijing-based company. Phase 1 trials for COVID-19 infections commenced in July 2020.
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) will sponsor the phase 2/3 trial as part of the ACTIV-2 master protocol, which is assessing the potential of several experimental therapies to treat mild-to-moderate COVID-19. The ACTIV-2 trial began in August 2020 with an investigation of another monoclonal antibody, LY-CoV555, from Lilly and AbCellera Biologics (NSDQ:ABCL).
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