AstraZeneca has revealed it has begun a UK-based trial on a potential antibody-based treatment for tackling the Covid-19 virus.
The US-funded phase 1 trial, which includes up to 48 healthy participants from the UK aged between 18 and 55, will evaluate the safety and tolerability of the treatment.
It is being aimed at people who may not be able to have a vaccination or for high-risk populations where additional protection from the virus may be needed.
AstraZeneca’s response to the pandemic also includes an agreement with the University of Oxford for the development and distribution of a vaccine aimed at preventing Covid-19.
The antibody-based treatment was licensed to Astra in June after its discovery by Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee. Funding for the trial is being made through the US Department of Defense and US Department of Health and Human Services.
The treatment aims to mimic natural antibodies in a way that will neutralise the effects of the virus and affect its capacity to infect healthy cells. It could also be used to treat and prevent disease progression in patients already infected by the virus.
Astra's BioPharmaceuticals R&D executive Mene Pangalos said: "This trial is an important milestone in the development of our monoclonal antibody combination to prevent or treat Covid-19.
“This combination of antibodies, coupled to our proprietary half-life extension technology, has the potential to improve both the effectiveness and durability of use in addition to reducing the likelihood of viral resistance."
Should Astra achieve favourable results, the Cambridge-based company will need to carry out larger late-stage Phase II and Phase III trials to evaluate its efficacy as a potential preventative and treatment approach against Covid-19.
