Zhang Wenhongjiao, director of the National Center for Infectious Disease Medicine and director of the Department of Infectious Diseases of Huashan Hospital affiliated to Fudan University, said at the "Science Carnival" jointly sponsored by the Shanghai Terminus of the Central Broadcasting Corporation and the World Association of Top Scientists on November 3 that there is still a lack of special drugs for the new crown, and the key to fighting the virus is still the body's immunity.
However, the process of new crown drug research and development has not stopped. At a symposium on pandemic and public health at the Top Scientists Forum, Xie Xiaoliang, Chair Professor Li Shau Kee of Peking University and Director of the Beijing Future Genetic Diagnostics High-tech Innovation Center, revealed good news about COVID-19 neutralizing antibodies.
Xie Xiaoliang told first financial reporters that the new crown neutralizing antibody dxp-604 developed by his team is undergoing phase II clinical trials in China and has been approved for emergency treatment as a sympathetic drug in Beijing Ditan Hospital, mainly for mild and ordinary patients. As of November 2, 14 patients have been treated and are currently awaiting the results of the clinical trial.
"DXP-604 is effective against all RBD single-point mutations, no immune escape due to viral mutations has been observed, and it can also prevent the escape of future mutations, becoming a 'full-spectrum' COVID-19 neutralizing antibody." Xie Xiaoliang told the first financial reporter, "And because of its lower dose, the manufacturing cost will also be reduced, and we think it will be at least half lower than the current price of neutralizing antibodies." ”
Previously, the new coronavirus neutralizing antibody dxp-593 screened by Xie Xiaoliang's team was once considered one of the most effective neutralizing antibodies, giving the virus a lot of evolutionary pressure. "But DXP-593 was escaped by the COVID-19 beta and delta variants." Xie Xiaoliang said.
The cost of neutralizing antibody therapies is a huge challenge. Earlier this year, the U.S. government announced that it would buy 1.25 million doses of the NEW CROWN antibody blend for about $2.63 billion, with an average price of more than $2,000 per dose.
At present, those that have entered late clinical trials in China also include Tengshengbo Drug and Junshi Bio's new crown neutralizing antibodies. Recently, Tengsheng Bo Pharmaceutical said that it has submitted an emergency use authorization application for its research and neutral antibody BRII-196/BRII-198 to the US FDA. At present, the drug has been clinically treated in some parts of China.
Last month, pharmaceutical giant Merck announced the development of an effective oral COVID-19 antiviral drug with a 50 percent effectiveness, putting pressure on manufacturers of COVID-19 neutralizing antibodies. In China, the research and development of small molecule new coronavirus drugs such as the androgen receptor (ar) antagonist propruamine in the pioneering pharmaceutical industry is also advancing rapidly.
In this regard, Xie Xiaoliang told the first financial reporter: "Some small molecule drugs, also in clinical testing, are also very promising, but due to the resistance of small molecule drugs, they generally need to be combined to maintain the efficacy." But these also need to be explored, and we are all still in the early stages. ”
Xie Xiaoliang also stressed that although breakthroughs are being made in the research and development of new crown drugs, the most effective way to prevent and control the epidemic is still to vaccinate. He stressed: "In order to reduce breakthrough infections and reduce the rate of severe illness, the third dose of the vaccine is particularly important. ”
Xie Xiaoliang's team found that after receiving two doses of the new crown vaccine, the third dose of the booster vaccine at an interval of 6 months was the most effective, which could arouse the body's immune memory within 7 days.