Vir Biotech to begin mid-to-late stage study of Covid-19 drug candidate in August

Vir Biotechnology Inc said on Tuesday it plans to start a mid-to-late stage trial of its Covid-19 drug candidate in August, as drugmakers across the globe rush to find treatments for the highly infectious virus.

The company's therapy candidate, VIR-7831, is a monoclonal antibody that binds itself to the SARS-CoV-2 live virus and neutralizes it.

Vir Biotech expects initial clinical data from the study to be available before the end of 2020.

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There are currently no approved treatments or vaccine for Covid-19, which has infected more than 20 million and killed at least 736,577, according to a Reuters tally.

Gilead Sciences Inc on Monday filed an application with the US. Food and Drug Administration seeking full approval for remdesivir, its experimental Covid-19 drug.

Vir Biotech has two other Covid-19 antibody candidates in development, VIR-2703 and VIR-7832, and expects to start human clinical trials for both later this year.

The company received a $250 million investment from British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline Plc in March as part of a collaboration to develop antibody treatments for Covid-19.