Regeneron initiates phase III trial of REGN-COV2 to treat and prevent Covid-19

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced the initiation of late-stage clinical trials evaluating REGN-COV2, Regeneron's investigational double antibody cocktail for the treatment and prevention of COVID-19. A Phase III trial will evaluate REGN-COV2's ability to prevent infection among uninfected people who have had close exposure to a COVID-19 patient (such as the patient's housemate), and is being run jointly with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). REGN-COV2 has also moved into the Phase II/III portion of two adaptive Phase 1/II/III trials testing the cocktail's ability to treat hospitalized and non-hospitalized (or "ambulatory") patients with COVID-19. This clinical progress follows a positive review from the Independent Data Monitoring Committee of REGN-COV2 Phase 1 safety results in an initial cohort of 30 hospitalized and non-hospitalized patients with COVID-19. The Phase III prevention trial is being conducted at approximately 100 sites and is expected to enroll 2,000 patients in the U.S.; the trial will assess SARS-CoV-2 infection status. The two Phase II/III treatment trials in hospitalized (estimated enrollment =1,850) and non-hospitalized (estimated enrollment =1,050) patients are planned to be conducted at approximately 150 sites in the U.S., Brazil, Mexico and Chile, and will evaluate virologic and clinical endpoints, with preliminary data expected later this summer. All trials are adaptively-designed, and the ultimate numbers of patients enrolled will depend on trial progress and insights from Phase II studies. Comment:Regeneron is the first company to begin late-stage efficacy research on an antibody-based drug, which can be used to either block infections or to prevent the virus from making patients sick.