Regdanvimab for COVID-19 effective against Delta variant

The neutralizing antibody regdanvimab appears to be useful in the treatment of mild-to-moderate COVID-19, with a recent study showing that the drug may prevent disease worsening in patients, including those infected with the Delta variant.

The retrospective, observational cohort study included 722 patients with mild-to-moderate severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), of whom 418 received regdanvimab and 304 received standard of care (SoC). Infection with the Delta variant was confirmed in 412 patients (regdanvimab, n=297 [71.1 percent]; SoC, n=115 [37.8 percent]).

Patients in the regdanvimab group tended to be younger than those in the SoC group (median age 52 vs 60 years), but there was no significant between-group difference in the proportion of males (47.4 percent vs 48.4 percent) and mean body mass index (25.0 vs 24.8 kg/m²).

The primary endpoint was condition deterioration, defined as peripheral oxygen saturation <90% in room air, requirement of supplemental oxygen therapy above high flow, or mortality due to COVID-19 up to day 28.

There were significantly fewer primary endpoint events recorded among patients in the regdanvimab vs SoC group (3.1 percent vs 9.9 percent; difference, −6.8, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], −10.9 to −2.8; p=0.0002).

Results were consistent in the Delta variant subgroup (2.7 percent vs 7.0 percent; difference, −4.3, 95 percent CI, −10.8 to 0.2; p=0.0827). Secondary efficacy endpoints supported primary analysis findings in the overall cohort and Delta variant subgroup.

There were no new safety signals documented.