Roche And Regeneron Collaborate For COVID-19 Treatment REGN-COV2
To develop, manufacture and distribute Regeneron’s investigational antiviral antibody combination named REGN-COV2 around the globe, Regeneron has announced its partnership with Roche.
For those people already experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, REGN-COV2 could provide a much-needed treatment. Also, it could prevent infection in people who are at high risk of infection. The supply of REGN-COV2 could be increased to at least three and a half times the current capacity after the collaboration, with the potential to even further expansion.
REGN-COV2 is currently undergoing Phase 3 trial for the prevention of COVID-19 in household contacts of infected individuals and two Phase 2/3 clinical trials for the treatment of COVID-19. Roche will be responsible for distribution outside the U.S, and Regeneron will distribute and record sales for REGN-COV2 in the U.S. if it proves effective and safe.
Bill Anderson, Chief Executive Officer of Roche Pharmaceuticals, said REGN-COV2 could be a critical line of defense against the COVID-19 pandemic as it has the potential to serve as both prevention and treatment against COVID-19. Leonard S. Schleifer, M.D., Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Regeneron, said the research and development program for REGN-COV2 was conducted at
record speed and effort to maximize the in-house manufacturing capacity. The Regeneron did collaborate with Roche to provide global expertise and an important scale to distribute REGN-COV2 to more patients around the world.Each company will dedicate a certain manufacturing capacity to REGN-COV2 every year under the terms of the agreement. The technology transfer process has already been started by the companies. In their designated territories, each company will take its own distribution expenses. The ongoing Phase 3 prevention and Phase 1 healthy volunteer safety studies will be jointly funded by the collaborators.
Roche will be primarily responsible for securing regulatory approvals and conducting any additional studies required for approval outside the U.S.
Editor’s Note; Roche and Regeneron Collaborate, To develop, manufacture and distribute REGN-COV2
