AstraZeneca Inks $157M Deal for Early-Stage COVID-19 Monoclonal Antibody with Newly Launched RQ Biotechnology

On May 17, AstraZeneca announced a collaboration with RQ Biotechnology to introduce an early-stage COVID-19 monoclonal antibody. AstraZeneca will pay up to $157 million for the global exclusive license of this drug. Specific details about the drug have not been disclosed yet.

Source: Corporate Official Website

Headquartered in London, RQ Biotechnology announced its official launch today. The company is dedicated to developing therapeutic and preventive treatments based on potent broad-spectrum monoclonal antibodies, providing immediate and long-lasting immunity for individuals at risk of severe illness or death due to existing or emerging viral infections. The management team comes from well-known pharmaceutical companies and research institutions such as Sanofi, Pfizer, Imperial College London, and the University of Oxford.

Previously, AstraZeneca's long-acting neutralizing antibody combination AZD7442 (Evusheld, Tixagevimab + Cilgavimab) has been approved for marketing. It is used for pre-exposure prophylaxis in adults and adolescents aged 12 years and above with severe immunodeficiency, as well as in individuals who are not suitable for COVID-19 vaccination or have an insufficient immune response to the vaccine. This drug is the first approved neutralizing antibody combination for prevention and has the advantage of long-lasting effects. A single intramuscular injection can provide preventive immune protection for up to 12 months, which is more than three times longer than that of common neutralizing antibodies.

AZD7442 is a combination of two long-acting antibodies, tixagevimab (AZD8895) and cilgavimab (AZD1061), derived from B cells of convalescent patients infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus. It was discovered by Vanderbilt University Medical Center in the United States and licensed to AstraZeneca in June 2020. AstraZeneca optimized the neutralizing antibodies using its proprietary YTE half-life extension technology, reducing binding to Fc receptors and complement C1q, thereby achieving long-lasting effects.

The approval of the drug was based on data from the Phase III clinical PROVENT study. The study enrolled high-risk and immunocompromised subjects, with more than 75% of the participants having comorbidities. A total of 5,197 subjects were randomly assigned in a 2:1 ratio to receive either 300 mg of AZD7442 (n = 3,460) or placebo (n = 1,737).

Six-month follow-up data from the prevention trial showed that a single intramuscular injection of the long-acting antibody combination reduced the risk of symptomatic COVID-19 by 83%; separate treatment trials indicated that if treatment was received within three days of symptom onset, the risk of severe COVID-19 or death could be reduced by 88%.

In addition to the PROVENT study for the prevention of high-risk patients, AstraZeneca has also initiated the Phase III TACKLE study for outpatients, announcing its positive results in mid-November 2021.