UK medicines regulator approves Ronapreve for use in prevention and treatment of Covid-19
Scientists have welcomed news that the first treatment using artificial antibodies to treat and prevent Covid-19 has been approved for use in the UK.
The UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency announced on 20 August that it had approved Ronapreve as the first monoclonal antibody cocktail for use in the prevention and treatment of acute Covid-19.
Developed by the pharmaceutical giants Regeneron and Roche, the drug acts as a lining of the respiratory system where it binds to the coronavirus and prevents it from gaining access to cells, the MHRA said.
Health secretary Sajid Javid said the treatment would be a “significant addition to our armoury to tackle Covid-19—in addition to our world-renowned vaccination programme and life-saving therapeutics dexamethasone and tocilizumab.
“We are now working at pace with the NHS and expert clinicians to ensure this treatment can be rolled out to NHS patients as soon as possible,” he added.
Martin Landray, a professor of medicine and epidemiology at the University of Oxford, described the licensing decision as an “important step forward”.
“The challenge going forward will be in determining which patients should be prioritised for this treatment,” he said, adding that it would be “hard to justify giving what are likely to be limited supplies of a relatively expensive treatment to huge numbers of people who are likely to get better on their own”.
“On the other hand,” he said, “it may play an important role in patients who are at higher risk of developing severe infection and who are more likely to end up in hospital.”
Penny Ward, a visiting professor in pharmaceutical medicine at King’s College London, also welcomed the decision.
“It’s a good news day. Let’s now hope we can order and receive the supply we need to be able to use this effectively as we wait for the oral antivirals which are coming along the pike.”
AstraZeneca trial
Meanwhile, the Anglo-Swedish pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca announced it would seek regulatory approval for its AZD7442 antibody cocktail after a phase 3 trial showed it significantly reduced the risk of developing symptomatic Covid-19.
Myron J. Levin, a professor of paediatrics and medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and a principal investigator on the trial, said the data showed that a single dose of the drug could “quickly and effectively prevent symptomatic Covid-19”.
“With these exciting results, AZD7442 could be an important tool in our arsenal to help people who may need more than a vaccine to return to their normal lives.”