British regulators approved a GlaxoSmithKline drug to treat those at high risk of developing severe Covid-19 symptoms which appears effective against the new Omicron variant.
Preclinical data showed that the drug retains activity against key mutations of the new Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant. It is a monoclonal antibody, a type of protein that attaches to the spike protein of the coronavirus, reducing its ability to enter the body's cells.
A single dose of the drug was found to reduce the risk of hospitalisation and death by 79 percent in high-risk adults with symptomatic COVID-19 infection.
Testing is ongoing "to confirm the neutralising activity of sotrovimab against the combination of all the Omicron mutations with the intent to provide an update by the end of 2021."
