BRITAIN's medicines regulator has approved AstraZeneca's antibody-based Covid-19 treatment for adults with poor immune response, marking a major step in the fight against the pandemic as infections surge globally amid the spread of the Omicron variant.
The decision to grant approval for the treatment was endorsed by the government's independent scientific advisory body after reviewing the evidence, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said on Thursday (17).
Figures showing a global rise in Covid-19 cases could herald a much bigger problem, the World Health Organization said this week, warning nations to remain vigilant as some countries also report a drop in testing rates.
Anglo-Swedish drugmaker AstraZeneca's antibody cocktail, branded Evusheld, was found to cut the risk of developing symptomatic Covid-19 by 77 per cent in trials, with protection lasting for at least six months after a single dose, the MHRA said.
It has already been authorised in the US to prevent Covid-19 infections in individuals with weak immune systems or a history of severe side effects from coronavirus vaccines.
Britain has given it a similar approval and the MHRA said that the treatment, given as an intra-muscular injection, should not be administered to people infected with the Covid-causing SARS-CoV-2 virus or who have had recent exposure to someone with the virus.
However, the regulator has cautioned that there was insufficient data to evaluate fully Evusheld's effectiveness against the Omicron variant or how long it would work against the variant, adding that it is liaising with AstraZeneca on that.
AstraZeneca in December said that a lab study had found that the antibody cocktail retained neutralising activity against Omicron, reporting the first such data for the treatment.
(Reuters)
Curator Emma Slocombe with ikat robes and arabachi coats in the Peter the Great Room in Blickling Hall Amit Roy 
View of the entrance to Blickling Hall on a rainy autumn dayAmit Roy 
Kente cloth from Ghana in the Long Gallery in Blickling Hall 
Decoration in the Great Hall at Blickling Hall Amit Roy 
Palampore fragment made in coastal south-east India in the Brown Room in Blickling Hall Amit Roy 
Bed valance dating from early 1700s in the Italian Print Room at Blickling Hall Amit Roy 
Indian inspired fabric draped on sofas in the South Drawing Room in Blickling Hall Amit Roy 
Indian inspired fabric draped on sofas in the South Drawing Room with Indian carpet in Blickling Hall Amit Roy 
Karun Thakar has picked out the geometric patterns in the bookcase and the Kente cloth in the Long Gallery in Blickling Hall Amit Roy 
Large tapestry depicting Peter the Great defeating the Swedish army at the Battle of Poltava in 1709 Amit Roy 
ikat robes and arabachi coats in the Peter the Great Room in Blickling Hall Amit Roy 
Baghs and kanthas made by women provide contrast to the men only portraits in the Great Hall at Blickling Hall Amit Roy 
Baghs and kanthas in the entrance Great Hall at Blickling Hall Amit Roy
Baghs and Kanthas in the Great Hall in harmony with stained glass window at Blickling Hall Amit Roy 
Kimonos reflect Japanese influence in Upper Ante Room in Blickling Hall Amit Roy 
Kimono in Upper Ante Room in Blickling Hall 
A view of the Palace and fort at Agra shows romantic side of India Amit Roy 
Blickling Hall Amit Roy 
Table carpet, European 1670-1680 Amit Roy 
Unfinished 17th century Italian embroidery in the Print Room at Blickling Hall Amit Roy 
Picture of Kashmir shows a romantic view of India Amit Roy 
A panel of Ashburnham bed hangings made in Gujarat for sale in Europe in the Brown Room in Blickling Hall Amit Roy 
Colcha made in the 1600s by women in Bengal for the Portuguese market in the Long Gallery at Blickling Hall Amit Roy
