The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Department of Defense (DOD) have signed an agreement with Regeneron Pharmaceuticals to buy additional doses of the firm’s Covid-19 antibody cocktail, REGEN-COV (casirivimab and imdevimab).
REGEN-COV is a combination of two monoclonal antibodies, casirivimab and imdevimab, which is designed to block SARS-CoV-2 infectivity.
The antibody cocktail was jointly developed by Regeneron and Roche using Regeneron’s proprietary VelocImmune and VelociSuite technologies.
Under the terms of the latest agreement, Regeneron will supply 1.4 million additional doses of 1,200mg REGEN-COV to the US government for $2,100 per dose.
These REGEN-COV additional doses are planned to be delivered by 31 January next year.
This takes the total number of REGEN-COV doses purchased by the US government to approximately three million doses.
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals president and CEO Leonard Schleifer said: “More than a year and a half into this pandemic, too many people are still being hospitalized and dying due to COVID-19.
“While vaccination remains the first line of defense to decrease the burden of COVID-19, REGEN-COV is a key tool that reduces the risk of hospitalization or death by 70% in high-risk individuals when given early in the course of the infection.”
The company signed two similar agreements with the US government in January this year and July last year.
Regeneron expects to commence delivering the additional doses this month, with the huge majority to be delivered in the fourth quarter of this year.
Last month, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) expanded the emergency use authorization (EUA) for the antibody cocktail.