UK trial patient is the first in the world as AstraZeneca antibody study to prevent COVID-19 begins

UK trial patient is the first in the world as AstraZeneca antibody study to prevent COVID-19 begins

A UK patient was the first in the world to begin a trial to test whether AstraZeneca’s long acting antibodies combination will prevent COVID-19 for up to 12 months.

The Phase III trial will recruit 5,000 patients globally to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the long-acting antibodies.  The AstraZeneca (AZ) COVID-19 antibody trial is currently being conducted across nine regional sites in the UK.

AZ’s Long Acting Antibodies (LAABs) mimic natural antibodies and have the potential to treat and prevent disease progression in patients already infected with the virus, as well as to be given as a preventative intervention prior to exposure to the virus. A LAAB combination could be complementary to vaccines as a prevention for COVID-19, e.g. for people for whom a vaccine may not be appropriate or to provide added protection for high-risk populations. It could also be used to treat people who have been infected. The UK Government has an in principle agreement which secures access to one million doses of the long acting antibodies if they are successful in phase III trials.

Karen Simeson, an Intensive Care nurse in Wakefield, was the first person in the world to take part in this trial and received the antibody injection on Saturday (21 November) – a world-first for our region and for AstraZeneca.

Volunteers are being recruited from the Wakefield District to take part in this antibody trial. Volunteers should:

  • be aged between 18 or over
  • have an increased risk of vulnerability to COVID-19 (due to location, employment or personal circumstances) OR be less likely than most adults to benefit from a vaccine (for example, due to older age, obesity or immunosuppression from a health condition or medication).
  • NOT have a previously confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19

To volunteer, Wakefield residents should:

Call the research team on 07540 305088 and leave a message with their contact details, including name, address, email details and phone number. One of the Trial team will call them back as soon as possible.