Regeneron Expects Zero Covid Antibody Sales For The First Quarter Of 2022

Regeneron expects no gross sales of its Covid-19 antibody cocktail REGEN-COV within the first quarter of 2022 now that it has been discovered to be ineffective in opposition to the omicron variant, the corporate’s prime executives stated throughout a 4Q earnings name Friday. 

“We just lately introduced that REGEN-COV is very unlikely to be lively in opposition to the omicron variant,” stated CEO Leonard Schleifer.

Final month, the FDA revoked its emergency use authorization for each Regenron’s and Eli Lilly’s antibody therapies after laboratory research discovered them to be ineffective in opposition to the omicron variant, which now accounts for almost all of the circumstances within the U.S. “It is extremely unlikely that COVID-19 sufferers searching for care within the U.S. right now are contaminated with a variant aside from omicron, and these therapies aren’t licensed for use right now,” stated the FDA in a press launch. 

Regenron’s antibody remedy was administered to tens of millions of individuals throughout the globe final yr. The corporate stated it has already delivered the remaining of the 1.4 million doses that have been bought by the usgovernment. In 2021, the corporate says its revenues elevated 89% to $16.07 billion in comparison with 2020, with $6.19 billion attributable to REGEN-COV. 

Regenron’s focus is on upscaling its new antibodies which have proven to work in opposition to all variants of concern, together with omicron and delta. “We’re scaling up manufacturing efforts and finishing the mandatory necessities to start medical trials,” Schleifer stated. Because the pandemic turns endemic, the corporate’s monoclonal antibodies remedy may very well be used as prevention for immunocompromised sufferers who don’t reply to Covid-19 vaccines, he added.