Regeneron Says COVID-19 Antibody Therapy Will Likely Help Against Variants

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc's antibody cocktail therapy for COVID-19 will likely also be effective against the new variants of the virus, the drugmaker's chief executive officer said on Monday.

Regeneron's antibody therapy received U.S. Food and Drug Administration's authorization for emergency use in mild to moderate COVID-19 patients in November.

"We do believe cocktail is very important... having a cocktail makes it more likely we will be able to deal with variants that might pop up," Chief Executive Officer Leonard Schleifer said during J.P. Morgan Health Conference.

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Regeneron said its cocktail approach has resulted in a treatment that should work against the major variants described in the United Kingdom, California and South Africa.

The company reported net sales of $144 million for its antibody cocktail in the fourth quarter.

"We are also working on additional cocktails should the virus continue to mutate and escape," President George Yancapoulos said.

The company said there was substantial demand for its COVID-19 therapy and that it was collaborating with Roche Holdings AG to address demand outside the United States.

—Reuters Staff

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