Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. REGN,
said on Tuesday that the U.S. government had agreed to purchase 1.25 million additional doses of the company’s COVID-19 antibody cocktail. This would raise the American supply of the cocktail, which consists of antibodies casirivimab and imdevimab, to more than 1.5 million doses. Under the new agreement, the government will buy all ready-made doses of the cocktail delivered by June 30. Regeneron is already providing doses to treat about 300,000 people, with President Donald Trump receiving treatment when he fell ill with COVID-19 last year. “COVID-19 continues to make hundreds of thousands of Americans sick every day and the people of Regeneron are committed to helping,” said Chief Executive Leonard S. Schleifer in a statement. “We are pleased to work with the United States government to provide our antibody cocktail as an important weapon in this fight.” Patients who received the cocktail in clinical trials “experienced significant reductions in virus levels and required fewer medical visits for COVID-19, suggesting that the therapy may help reduce the current burden on hospitals and healthcare systems,” said the company . The cocktail continues to be evaluated in clinical trials for the treatment of patients with COVID-19 inside and outside hospitals, including a trial for the prevention of COVID-19 in home contacts of infected people, the company said. Regeneron’s shares rose nearly 5% in the extended session after ending the regular trading day with a 0.6% rise.
