Singapore buys AstraZeneca's Evusheld drug cocktail, which combines 2 long-acting antibodies

DRUGMAKER AstraZeneca has signed a purchase agreement with Singapore to deliver its antibody drug cocktail Evusheld for the treatment of Covid-19, the company said on Friday (Dec 10).

The supply of Evusheld, formerly known as AZD7442, is expected to arrive in Singapore by year's end.

Evusheld - made of a combination of 2 long-acting antibodies - reduces risk of severe Covid-19 or death by 88 per cent when patients with mild to moderate infections were treated within 3 days of being symptomatic, according to the drug's Phase 3 trial.

Vinod Narayanan, country president of AstraZeneca Singapore, said: "Evusheld will provide another prevention option for high-risk populations, alongside vaccines, including for people who are immunocompromised and unable to develop the needed degree of protective response following Covid-19 vaccination."

The drug had recently been granted emergency use authorisation by the US Food and Drug Administration, for use in individuals with moderate to severe immunity compromise and for those whom Covid-19 vaccination is not recommended.

The company said it has filed for regulatory approvals in other countries as well, although it did not specify which.

In Singapore, the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) is in discussion with AstraZeneca to facilitate regulatory submissions, although no applications have been filed at this juncture, HSA said in response to queries.

Preliminary findings show the drug is effective against variants including Delta, and current available pre-clinical data also suggest that the efficacy is likely not significantly impacted by the new Omicron variant, AstraZeneca said.

Evusheld is the drugmaker's second available Covid-19 treatment. Its existing Covid-19 vaccine - Covid-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca - has been released for supply to more than 170 countries, with 585 million individuals receiving at least 1 dose.

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