Benzinga | Mar 23, 2021 06:57AM EDT

Regeneron's Lower Dose Of COVID-19 Antibody Cocktail Cuts Hospitalization, Death By 70%

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ: REGN) has announced that even a lower-than-authorized dose of its combination of monoclonal antibody (mAbs) reduced hospitalization or death by 70% in non-hospitalized COVID-19 patients.

* The company seeks emergency use approval for the lower dose.

* The placebo-controlled trial of more than 4,500 people showed casirivimab, and imdevimab reduced the risk of hospitalization or death by 70% for the 1,200 mg IV dose and 71% for the authorized 2,400 mg IV version when compared to placebo.

* The antibody cocktail also met all key secondary endpoints in the Phase 3 trial, including reducing symptom duration to 10 days from 14.

* A companion Phase 2 trial showed that even the lowest doses tested as low as 300 mg IV had significant viral load reductions over the first 7 study days, comparable to the 2,400 mg and 1,200 mg IV doses.

* Roche Holdings AG (OTCMKT: RHHBY) is responsible for sales outside the U.S.

* Regeneron expects to record approximately $260 million in REGEN-COV U.S. net product sales to the U.S. government in the first quarter of 2021.

* According to recently updated U.S. fact sheets for all authorized monoclonal antibody treatments, indicated that REGEN-COV was able to retain potency against key emerging variants.

* Price Action: REGN shares closed 2% higher at $483.2 on Monday.