Ronapreve: UK approves first-of-its-kind drug to generate artificial COVID antibodies

The UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) approved the first monoclonal antibody treatment for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 on August 20, Friday. According to the statement released by the UK government, Ronapreve is the first monoclonal antibody combination product developed by Regeneron/Roche. The drug can be administered either by injection or infusion and acts at the lining of the respiratory system where it binds tightly to the coronavirus and prevents it from gaining access to the cells of the respiratory system. 

Here's the official tweet by UK's Health Minister:

Fantastic news from the independent medicines regulator: UK Health Minister

Meanwhile, Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid said, "The UK is considered a world leader in identifying and rolling out life-saving treatments for COVID-19, once they have been proven safe and effective in our government-backed clinical trials. This is fantastic news from the independent medicines regulator and means the UK has approved its first therapeutic design specifically for COVID-19." He said that the treatment would be a significant addition to the armoury to tackle COVID-19 – in addition to the vaccination programme and life-saving therapeutics dexamethasone and tocilizumab.

“We are now working at pace with the NHS and expert clinicians to ensure this treatment can be rolled out to NHS patients as soon as possible," added Javid.

Public can trust after assessing all the available data, says drug Chief Quality & Access Officer

Meanwhile, Interim Chief Quality & Access Officer, Dr Samantha Atkinson said that the drug has been made with no compromises on quality, safety and efficacy. Rogeneron/Roche conducted clinical trials before widespread vaccination and before the emergence of variants of the Coronavirus. Therefore, the public can trust after assessing all the available data, Atkinson added. It is worth noting that the company has submitted interim clinical trial reports and the MHRA will receive final study reports in the coming months along with the company’s study report of the RECOVERY trial conducted by Oxford University.

UK records another 32,058 coronavirus cases

Another 32,058 people in Britain have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 64,60,930, according to official figures released on Sunday. The country also reported another 104 coronavirus-related deaths. The total number of coronavirus-related deaths in Britain now stands at 1,31,591. These figures only include the deaths of people who died within 28 days of their first positive test. England lifted almost all its remaining COVID-19 restrictions since July 19. More than 87 per cent of people aged 16 and over in Britain have had their first dose of vaccine and more than 76 per cent have received both doses, the latest figures showed.

(Image Credit: @sajidjavid/Twitter)