AstraZeneca antibody drug works to prevent Covid-19 in longer-term studies

AstraZeneca (AZN.L) said on Thursday its Covid-19 antibody drug was 83 per cent effective in cutting the risk of people contracting symptomatic illness in a six-month follow-up study.

The results have cemented the drugmaker's lead in developing preventative coronavirus treatments.

The Anglo-Swedish company said a separate study in patients with mild-to-moderate Covid-19 showed that a higher dose of the therapy, AZD7442, cut the risk of symptoms worsening by 88 per cent when given within three days of first symptoms.

The latest round of positive results potentially position AstraZeneca as a rare supplier of both Covid-19 vaccines and treatments, with the drugmaker having said the therapy's "real advantage" was as a preventative shot, rather than as a treatment.