AstraZeneca to Deliver Additional 500,000 Doses of Evusheld in Q1 Amid U.S. Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Demand

On January 12, according to a report by ABC News, the U.S. government has purchased an additional 500,000 doses of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 antibody cocktail drug Evusheld for use before exposure to the virus. AstraZeneca stated that the U.S. had previously ordered 700,000 doses, bringing the total supply to 1.2 million doses, with deliveries planned to be completed in the first quarter of 2022.

AstraZeneca did not elaborate on the cost of the additional order, only stating that "more details" of the agreement would emerge "in the coming weeks."

Evusheld is a long-acting combination therapy of neutralizing antibodies, composed of two neutralizing antibodies, tixagevimab and cilgavimab, which bind to different epitopes of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. On December 8, 2021, Evusheld received Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the U.S. FDA for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) of SARS-CoV-2 infection in certain adults and adolescents (aged ≥12 years, weighing ≥40 kg). It is currently the only authorized therapy in the United States for pre-exposure prophylaxis of COVID-19. Unlike COVID-19 treatment drugs from companies such as Eli Lilly, Regeneron, and GlaxoSmithKline, AstraZeneca's Evusheld primarily serves as a preventive measure before exposure to the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

AstraZeneca stated that Evusheld has demonstrated neutralizing activity against COVID-19 variants such as Omicron. This efficacy, proven through both live virus and pseudovirus studies, is attributed to Evusheld's combination of two "particularly potent antibodies with distinct and complementary antiviral activities." This helps the antibody cocktail avoid potential resistance when new COVID-19 variants emerge.

Notably, AstraZeneca also announced at the end of 2021 that it would supply its COVID-19 antibody cocktail therapy Evusheld to Singapore, with the specific dosage yet to be disclosed.

It is reported that the sales of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine surged in 2021. The revenue from this segment reached US$1.05 billion in the third quarter. The overall revenue for the first three quarters increased by 28% year-on-year, reaching US$25.4 billion.

In addition, to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, the United States is continuously increasing its orders for anti-COVID drugs. In early January 2022, the government increased the order of Pfizer's Paxlovid from 10 million to 20 million, with deliveries planned to be completed by the end of June and the end of September, respectively.

Pfizer's vaccine business revenue in the third quarter of 2021 was $14.583 billion, 8.5 times the $1.717 billion in the same period last year. Meanwhile, Pfizer raised its revenue forecast for the COVID-19 vaccine: it is expected to generate approximately $36 billion in revenue from Comirnaty in 2021, up from the previously estimated $33.5 billion.

Notably, on January 11, the day before the additional order of Evusheld, GlaxoSmithKline and Vir announced that the U.S. had ordered 600,000 doses of the monoclonal antibody drug sotrovimab, scheduled for delivery by the end of March. By November of last year, the amount invested by the U.S. in this drug had already reached approximately $1 billion.

Reference Source:

1.AstraZeneca sells another half-million doses of its COVID-19 antibody combo to the US

2. Xinhua News Agency, Guolon, Zhiyan Consulting