Study suggests GSK’s Covid antibody treatment works against Omicron

GlaxoSmithKline Plc, a pharmaceutical business, said that their antibody treatment for Covid-19 is effective against the whole combination of mutations in the novel strain omicron.

The drugmaker in a statement said the tests done in-vitro against a pseudo-virus that recreates a synthesized version of omicron showed that sotrovimab, Glaxo’s antibody treatment, stands up to all mutations in the spike protein of the omicron variant and not just the key mutations. The tests included all 37 mutations identified to-date in the spike protein.

This come amid uncertainty about whether the new variant omicron erodes the defenses of existing medicines and Covid-19 vaccines — and by how much. Its many mutations, particularly on the spike protein that’s the target of most treatments, have sparked concern globally and spooked financial markets.

Given the less than three-fold drop in neutralization during tests, “we are confident that sotrovimab will continue to provide significant benefit for the early treatment of patients hoping to avoid the most severe consequences of Covid-19,” said George Scangos, Chief Executive Officer of Vir Biotechnology Inc., the drug’s co-developer.

Sotrovimab reduced the risk of hospitalization and death in people with mild to moderate Covid by 79% in trials. The drug won clearance from U.K. regulators this month.

What Bloomberg Intelligence Says

“The 3-fold reduction in sotrovimab’s ability to neutralize omicron in analysis conducted by GlaxoSmithKline’s partner Vir Biotechnology should still mean a substantial level of efficacy vs. the variant — though we have yet to see the details — especially given the potential to dose at higher levels if needed. We continue to expect that the drop in activity for sotrovimab — and that of AstraZeneca’s AZD7442 — will be less severe than that of Eli Lilly-AbCellera and Roche-Regeneron’s antibodies. Glaxo’s 750,000 doses in committed contracts with various governments could equate to $1.5 billion of sales.”