Canadian drug for COVID-19 fails
The Ministry of Health warns that it may not be effective.
Canada already has a domestic cure for COVID-19 in its arsenal, but no one rushed to use it. The reason was that there was not enough evidence of efficacy yet. Now there are test results, but they do not inspire optimism.
The drug bamlainivimab was developed by AbCellera, a Canadian company based in Vancouver. Health Canada has warned that the drug may not be effective because bamlainivimab does not treat all variants of the virus. Specifically, it has shown less efficacy against South African (B.1.351), Brazilian (P.1), California (B.1.427/B.1.429) and New York (B.1.526) strains.
Bamlanivimab is an antibody-based medicine. It mimics the ability of the immune system to fight the virus and is administered intravenously. According to Health Canada, the drug can prevent worsening of symptoms and reduce hospitalizations in high-risk patients infected with COVID-19.
According to AbCellera, more than 400,000 patients have been treated with bamlainivimab in more than 20 countries. And of the 26,000 doses distributed to Canadian provinces, almost none were used. The DHS warning about the drug's possible ineffectiveness came after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration withdrew approval for the emergency use of bamlainivimab.
Bamlanivimab was the first antibody-based treatment approved in Canada. Four other antibody-based medicines are currently awaiting approval.
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