AstraZeneca's anti-Covid reveals gives positive effect over disease risk in vulnerable patients

AstraZeneca's Covid-19 prevention therapy reduced the risk of infection in patients with weaker immunity in a late-stage trial, meeting its primary goal, the drugmaker said on Thursday.

The long-acting antibody therapy called sipavibart showed a "statistically significant reduction" in symptomatic Covid-19 cases among immunocompromised patients, the company said.

Immunocompromised people include those with blood cancer, organ transplant recipients, patients with end-stage renal disease requiring dialysis, patients receiving B-cell depleting therapy within the past year, and those taking immunosuppressive medications, it said.

These patients make up about 25 per cent of Covid-19 hospitalisations, intensive care unit (ICU) admissions, and deaths, even after multiple doses of Covid-19 vaccines, according to the Anglo-Swedish drugmaker.  

AstraZeneca acquired sipavibart from RQ Bio in May 2022.