GSK and Vir Biotechnology announce EMA review of dual-action monoclonal antibody VIR-7831 for the early treatment of COVID-19

On Apr 15, 2021

GSK and Vir continue discussions with global regulators to make VIR-7831 available to patients with COVID-19.

GlaxoSmithKline plc and Vir Biotechnology, Inc. announced that the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has started a review of VIR-7831 (GSK4182136), an investigational dual-action SARS-CoV-2 monoclonal antibody, for the treatment of adults and adolescents (aged 12 years and over and weighing at least 40 kg) with COVID-19 who do not require oxygen supplementation and who are at high risk of progressing to severe COVID-19.

The review is being carried out by the EMA’s Committee for Human Medicinal Products (CHMP) under Article 5(3) of Regulation 726/2004 and will provide EU-wide recommendations for national authorities who may take evidence-based decisions on the early use of the medicine, ahead of any formal Marketing Authorisation Application.

The review will include data from an interim analysis of efficacy and safety data from the Phase 3 COMET-ICE (COVID-19 Monoclonal antibody Efficacy Trial – Intent to Care Early) trial, which evaluated VIR-7831 as monotherapy for the early treatment of COVID-19 in adults at high risk of hospitalisation. Results of the interim analysis, based on data from 583 randomised patients, demonstrated an 85% (p=0.002) reduction in hospitalisation or death in those receiving VIR-7831 compared to placebo, the primary endpoint of the trial. As a result, the Independent Data Monitoring Committee recommended that the trial be stopped for enrolment due to evidence of profound efficacy. The CHMP review will also consider data on the medicine’s quality and safety.

This week, the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), part of the Department of Health, granted VIR-7831 a provisional determination. VIR-7831 is the first anti-SARS-CoV-2 monoclonal antibody to have been granted this designation which provides a formal and transparent mechanism for accelerating the registration of promising new medicines with preliminary clinical data.

VIR-7831 is an investigational compound and has not been granted a marketing authorisation anywhere in the world. An Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) application for VIR-7831 has been submitted to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Preclinical data suggest VIR-7831 targets a highly conserved epitope of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, which may make it more difficult for resistance to develop. New in vitro data from pseudotyped virus assays published online in bioRxiv support this hypothesis as they demonstrate that VIR-7831 maintains activity against current circulating variants of concern including the UK, South African and Brazilian variants. Based on additional preclinical data published in bioRxiv, VIR-7831 also appears to maintain activity against the California variant.

GSK is planning to submit a full Marketing Authorisation Application (MAA) to the EMA which will include the data from the COMET-ICE trial.