Drug developed that may protect people exposed to covid

BarcelonaA team of British scientists has created a drug that could prevent a person who has been exposed to the covid-19 virus from developing the disease. The study of the drug is in phase 3 and researchers believe that if the results are satisfactory, it could start to be used between March and April, according to exclusive reports from the British newspaper The Guardian.

The drug. which has been named AZD7442, is based on a combination of antibodies created in a laboratory. It is being developed by the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca (which, together with the University of Oxford, has developed a vaccine against covid-19) and the University College of London, and has so far been administered to ten volunteers "who had been exposed to the virus at home, in hospitals or in student residences". This was explained by Catherine Houlihan, the virologist leading the study, who believes that if the results are satisfactory the drug could be "an interesting addition to the arsenal of weapons being developed to combat this terrible virus".

The vaccines developed so far do not offer protection against the virus until some time after they have been given (the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, which began to be administered in Catalonia this Sunday, is considered not to offer full protection until a week after receiving the second dose). Instead, the creators of this new drug explain that it is designed to provide instant immunity against covid-19 and, therefore, could serve as an emergency treatment, for example, in an outbreak in a nursing home or to protect people who live with someone who has tested positive.

Those responsible for the study believe that it would help protect vulnerable people who have been exposed to the virus and therefore could "save many lives" while the long vaccination process is not completed. Experts believe that group immunity will not be achieved until 70% of the population is vaccinated, and this may take many months.

The drug would have to be administered during eight days after possible infection, and is expected to offer protection for six to 12 months.