The Chinese National Medical Products Administration has granted emergency approval for the country’s first specialized treatment against COVID-19, found in clinical trials to significantly reduce hospitalizations and deaths among high-risk patients.
The move comes as regulators around the world give the green light to treatments — particularly for high-risk groups — amid worries over the new Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2.
China is also grappling with a growing number of studies that show its vaccines have lower efficacy rates than many of those made elsewhere.
In an official notice published on Wednesday, the agency said that it has granted “emergency approval” for a monoclonal antibody treatment.
A monoclonal antibody is a type of protein that attaches to the spike protein of a coronavirus, reducing its ability to enter the body’s cells.
The treatment involves a combination of two drugs, administered through injections, and can be used to treat some cases that are at risk of progressing in severity, the drug authority said.
It was codeveloped by Tsinghua University in Beijing, the Third People’s Hospital of Shenzhen and Brii Biosciences.
Trial data showed that the combination therapy could reduce the risk of hospitalization and death in high-risk patients by about 80 percent, Tsinghua University said in a statement on social media on Wednesday.
A state media report last month said that the treatment has also been used on people infected in local flare-ups.
British regulators last week also authorized an antibody treatment.
EU health authorities have approved pills for emergency use, too — involving antiviral medications that slow down illness by reducing the virus’ capacity to reproduce within the body.
While pills are easier to use, the most effective treatment for COVID-19 currently involves monoclonal antibodies, which are administered via a drip.
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