STAT+: Vir antibody drug aimed at influenza A fails in clinical trial
It’s another setback for Vir in its efforts to build off its success during the Covid-19 pandemic, when the startup developed a blockbuster antibody for early-stage infections.
Vir Biotechnology said Thursday that a long-acting antibody drug designed to protect healthy individuals from influenza A failed to do so in a nearly 3,000-person clinical trial.
Volunteers who received the highest dose of the drug, known as VIR-2482, were only 16% less likely than the placebo group to develop symptomatic influenza A infections, as defined by trial criteria, over a seven-month period. The difference was not statistically significant.
The results are a setback in broader efforts to develop better protective measures against both seasonal and potential pandemic influenza strains. In the short term, Vir and outside experts hoped VIR-2482 could provide additional annual protection for at-risk groups like older adults, as flu vaccines are often only modestly effective.
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