GlaxoSmithKline Singapore announced an agreement with the Government of Singapore to supply additional doses of sotrovimab. Sotrovimab is an investigational single-dose monoclonal antibody developed in partnership with Vir Biotechnology, for the treatment of patients with COVID-19 who do not require oxygen supplementation and who are at risk of progressing to severe COVID-19. This follows the initial purchase agreement signed between GSK Singapore and the government in June 2021.
Priya Kudva Menon, VP and General Manager, GSK Singapore, said: "As we move into the endemic stage of COVID-19 in Singapore, it is clear that multiple treatment options are needed to manage the impact of this virus on people and communities, in addition to vaccinations and other preventative measures. We are proud to continue partnering with the Singapore government to supply our monoclonal antibody and to support Singapore's healthcare system as the country continues to open up."
Dr Leong Hoe Nam, infectious disease specialist, Rophi Clinic, Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital, said: "Early treatment of patients with COVID-19 has been shown consistently to reduce the risk of progressing to severe disease. As we transition to endemic COVID-19, we would experience individuals who remain unvaccinated or do not mount a sufficient immune response following vaccination. Treatments like sotrovimab is an extremely useful armament in our fight against COVID-19. I'm glad to learn of the Singapore government's successful procurement of yet another effective treatment option. It will further protect and save the lives of many Singaporeans."
In June 2021, GSK Singapore signed the first purchase agreement with the MOH for the supply of sotrovimab. Sotrovimab also received interim authorization approval from the Singapore HSA under the Pandemic Special Access Route (PSAR) in June.
GSK recently announced preclinical data that demonstrates sotrovimab retains activity against key mutations of the new Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant (B.1.1.529), including those found in the binding site of sotrovimab. These data were generated through pseudo-virus testing of specific individual mutations found in Omicron. To date, sotrovimab has demonstrated ongoing activity against all tested variants of concern and interest defined by the World Health Organization (WHO). GSK and Vir are now completing in vitro pseudo-virus testing 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.
Sotrovimab was deliberately designed with a mutating virus in mind. By targeting a region of the spike protein that is shared between distantly related coronaviruses (including SARS, SARS-CoV-2 and animal sarbecoviruses), the sotrovimab binding site is less likely to mutate.
About Sotrovimab
Sotrovimab is an investigational SARS-CoV-2 neutralising monoclonal antibody. The antibody binds to an epitope on SARS-CoV-2 shared with SARS-CoV-1 (the virus that causes SARS), indicating that the epitope is highly conserved, which may make it more difficult for resistance to develop. Sotrovimab, which incorporates Xencor's Xtend™ technology, has also been designed to achieve high concentration in the lungs to ensure optimal penetration into airway tissues affected by SARS-CoV-2 and to have an extended half-life.
Updated in vitro data, published in bioRxiv, demonstrate that sotrovimab retains activity against all current tested variants of concern and interest of the SARS-CoV-2 virus as defined by WHO, plus others, including but not limited to Delta (B.1.617.2), Delta Plus (AY.1 or AY.2), Mu (B.1.621) and key mutations of Omicron (B.1.1.529).
About the Sotrovimab Clinical Development Programme
COMET-ICE: a Phase III, multi-centre, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial investigated intravenous (IV) infusion of sotrovimab in adults with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 at high-risk of progression to severe disease, who are not hospitalised and not requiring oxygen. The final COMET-ICE trial results in the full trial population of 1,057 participants demonstrated a 79% reduction (adjusted relative risk...
Read More
(All Rights Reserved)