Filing includes data from PROVENT Phase III trial showing 77% reduction in risk of developing symptomatic COVID-19 with long-acting antibody combination (non-vaccine)

Potential to provide protection for those not expected to mount an adequate immune response following vaccination

AstraZeneca has submitted a request to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for AZD7442, its long-acting antibody (LAAB) combination, for prophylaxis of symptomatic COVID-19.

If granted, AZD7442 would be the first LAAB to receive an EUA for COVID-19 prevention. It is the first LAAB with Phase III data demonstrating a statistically significant reduction in the risk of developing symptomatic COVID-19 compared to placebo.

Mene Pangalos, Executive Vice President, BioPharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, said: “Vulnerable populations such as the immunocompromised often aren’t able to mount a protective response following vaccination and continue to be at risk of developing COVID-19. With this first global regulatory filing, we are one step closer to providing an additional option to help protect against COVID-19 alongside vaccines. We look forward to sharing AZD7442 data for the treatment of COVID-19 later this year.”

In August 2021, AstraZeneca announced high-level results from the PROVENT pre-exposure prophylaxis trial which showed AZD7442 reduced the risk of developing symptomatic COVID-19 by 77% (95% confidence interval (CI): 46, 90), compared to placebo. Importantly, the trial population included people with co-morbidities and who may be in need of additional protection from SARS-CoV-2 infection. Greater than 75% of participants in PROVENT presented with co-morbidities associated with an increased risk of severe disease or a reduced immune response to vaccination. The trial accrued 25 cases of symptomatic COVID-19 at the primary analysis. AZD7442 was well-tolerated.

The EUA request filing includes safety and efficacy data from the PROVENT and STORM CHASER Phase III trials and the Phase I trial.

AZD7442 was optimized using AstraZeneca’s proprietary YTE half-life extension technology which more than triples the durability of its action compared to conventional antibodies.^1-4

Preliminary ‘in vitro’ findings demonstrate that AZD7442 demonstrates broad anti-COVID activity, and in particular neutralizes recent emergent SARS-CoV-2 viral variants, including the Delta and Mu variants.^5,6

Discussions regarding supply agreements for AZD7442 are ongoing with the US government as well as other governments around the world.

About AZD7442

AZD7442 is a combination of two LAABs - tixagevimab (AZD8895) and cilgavimab (AZD1061) - derived from B-cells donated by convalescent patients after SARS-CoV-2 virus. Discovered by Vanderbilt University Medical Center and licensed to AstraZeneca in June 2020, the human monoclonal antibodies bind to distinct sites on the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein⁷ and were optimized by AstraZeneca with half-life extension and reduced Fc receptor and complement C1q binding. The half-life extension more than triples the durability of its action compared to conventional antibodies and could afford up to 12 months of protection from COVID-19 following a single administration;^1-4 data from the Phase I trial show high neutralizing antibody titres for at least nine months.⁸ The reduced Fc receptor binding aims to minimize the risk of antibody-dependent enhancement of disease - a phenomenon in which virus-specific antibodies promote, rather than inhibit, infection and/or disease.⁹

AZD7442 is being studied in a comprehensive clinical trial program for both prevention and treatment of COVID-19 in over 9,000 participants. In the Phase III PROVENT trial, AZD7442 reduced the risk of developing symptomatic COVID-19 by 77%, compared to placebo. The trial included 5,197 participants in a 2:1 randomisation AZD7442 to placebo. The primary analysis was based on 5,172 participants who did not have SARS-CoV-2 infection at baseline. The LAAB was well tolerated and preliminary analyses show adverse events were balanced between the placebo and AZD7442 groups.

Other ongoing trials include TACKLE COVID-19,¹⁰ a Phase III mild-to-moderate COVID-19 outpatient treatment trial, and collaborator treatment trials in outpatient and hospitalized settings.

AZD7442 is being developed with support from the US government, including federal funds from the Department of Health and Human Services; Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response; Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority in partnership with the Department of Defense; Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense, under Contract No. W911QY-21-9-0001.

Data published in Nature in July 2020 showed that in preclinical experiments, the LAABs were able to block the binding of the SARS-CoV-2 virus to host cells and protect against infection in cell and animal models of disease.¹¹

Under the terms of the licensing agreement with Vanderbilt, AstraZeneca will pay single-digit royalties on future net sales.

AstraZeneca

AstraZeneca is a global, science-led biopharmaceutical company that focuses on the discovery, development and commercialization of prescription medicines in Oncology and BioPharmaceuticals, including Cardiovascular, Renal & Metabolism, and Respiratory & Immunology. Based in Cambridge, UK, AstraZeneca operates in over 100 countries, and its innovative medicines are used by millions of patients worldwide. For more information, please visit www.astrazeneca-us.com and follow us on Twitter @AstraZenecaUS.

References

1. Robbie GJ, et al. A novel investigational Fc-modified humanized monoclonal antibody, motavizumab-YTE, has an extended half-life in healthy adults. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2013; 57 (12): 6147-53.
2. Griffin MP, et al. Safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics of MEDI8897, the respiratory syncytial virus prefusion F-targeting monoclonal antibody with an extended half-life, in healthy adults. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2017; 61(3): e01714-16.
3. Yu XQ, et al. Safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics of MEDI4893, an investigational, extended-half-life, anti-staphylococcus aureus alpha-toxin human monoclonal antibody, in healthy adults. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2016; 61 (1): e01020-16.
4. Domachowske JB, et al. Safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics of MEDI8897, an extended half-life single-dose respiratory syncytial virus prefusion F-targeting monoclonal antibody administered as a single dose to healthy preterm infants. Pediatr Infect Dis J. 2018; 37(9): 886-892.
5. Wang L et al. Ultrapotent antibodies against diverse and highly transmissible SARS-CoV-2 variants. Science. 2021 Jul 1. doi: 10.1126/science.abh1766.
6. ACTIV. National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences OpenData Portal. SARS-CoV-2 Variants & Therapeutics, All Variants Reported in vitro Therapeutic Activity. Available at: https://opendata.ncats.nih.gov/variant/activity [Last accessed: September 2021].
7. Dong J, et al. Genetic and structural basis for recognition of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein by a two-antibody cocktail. bioRxiv. 2021; doi: 10.1101/2021.01.27.428529.
8. Loo Y-M, et al. AZD7442 demonstrates prophylactic and therapeutic efficacy in non-human primates and extended half-life in humans. medRxiv. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press; 2021 [preprint] Available from: https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.08.30.21262666v1.
9. van Erp EA, et al. Fc-mediated antibody effector functions during respiratory syncytial virus infection and disease. Front Immunol. 2019; 10: 548.
10. Clinicaltrials.gov. Phase III study of AZD7442 for treatment of COVID-19 in outpatient adults (TACKLE). Available at:
11. /NCT04723394. [Last accessed: 30 June 2021].
12. Zost SJ, et al. Potently neutralizing and protective human antibodies against SARS-CoV 2. Nature. 2020; 584: 443–449.

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