AstraZeneca has modified an existing agreement with the US government to supply up to 500,000 additional doses of AZD7442, a long-acting antibody (LAAB) combination that is in late-stage development for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19.

This agreement with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Department of Defense (DoD) builds on an agreement from October 2020 for the support of the late-stage development of AZD7442 and for the supply of an initial 100,000 doses of the LAAB combination, including the option to acquire additional doses in 2021. The company also has a separate agreement to supply the DoD with 100,000 doses, bringing potential US supplies of AZD7442 to 700,000 doses in 2021.

The value of the extended agreement is $205 million and is contingent on AZD7442 receiving US Food and Drug Administration emergency use authorization in post-exposure prophylaxis, referring to the ability to prevent COVID-19 in people who have confirmed exposure to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. The total value of current agreements with the US government for the development and supply of AZD7442 in 2021 is about $726 million.

AZD7442 is a combination of two LAABs derived from convalescent patients after SARS-CoV-2 infection. Discovered by Vanderbilt University Medical Center and licensed to AstraZeneca in June 2020, the human monoclonal antibodies were optimized by AstraZeneca with half-life extension and reduced Fc receptor binding. AZD7442 is currently being evaluated for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 in late-stage trials in more than 9,000 participants globally.

Source: AstraZeneca