29/03/2024 9:15 AM

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AstraZeneca ramps up antibody study; Remdesivir reduces lung damage in monkeys

Even as some countries, particularly those first hit by the coronavirus, show some positive signs of improvement, the World Health Organization has warned that the pandemic is still worsening around the world. Most daily new cases are coming from 10 countries, according to the WHO, mostly in the Americas and South Asia. 

In the U.S., the New York City region, which was the initial epicenter of the country’s outbreak, has seen the daily growth of its epidemic decline substantially, and officials have begun to ease restrictions. However, some states that were among the first to reopen have begun to see signs that their outbreaks are worsening. 

This is CNBC’s live blog covering all the latest news on the coronavirus outbreak. This blog will be updated throughout the day as the news breaks. 

  • Global cases: More than 7.1 million
  • Global deaths: At least 406,925
  • U.S. cases: More than 1.9 million
  • U.S. deaths: At least 111,007

The data above was compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

Remdesivir study on monkeys shows drug reduced lung damage

Lab technicians load filled vials of investigational coronavirus disease (COVID-19) treatment drug remdesivir at a Gilead Sciences facility in La Verne, California, U.S. March 18, 2020. Picture taken March 18, 2020.

Gilead Sciences Inc | Reuters

7:42 a.m. ET — Gilead Sciences antiviral drug remdesivir helped to prevent macaques infected with the coronavirus from developing respiratory disease and reduced lung damage associated with the virus, according to a new study published in the medical journal Nature.

The study involved 12 monkeys infected with the coronavirus, with only six of them given remdesivir intravenously early on in the study. Those that received the drug did not develop respiratory disease and suffered less lung damage, the study showed.

“Our data support early remdesivir treatment initiation in Covid-19 patients to prevent progression to pneumonia,” the authors said in the report. The drug did not appear to reduce the infectiousness of the infected animals, however.

“Despite the lack of obvious respiratory signs and reduced virus replication in the lungs of remdesivir-treated animals, there was no reduction in virus shedding,” the study said. Clinical trials involving humans are ongoing. —Holly Ellyatt

AstraZeneca ramps up studies for antibody treatments

A pedestrian walks past signage outside an AstraZeneca Plc research and development facility in Shanghai, China, on Monday, June 8, 2020.

Qilai Shen | Bloomberg | Getty Images

7:05 a.m. ET — British drugmaker AstraZeneca expects to move two potential Covid-19 antibody-based therapeutics into clinical trials in the next two months, the company announced.

AstraZeneca said it licensed the antibodies from Vanderbilt University and hopes to develop them into a potential combination therapy for both the prevention and treatment of Covid-19.

The company, which is already working on a potential coronavirus vaccine, also said it has signed agreements with the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and the U.S. Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority to support development of the potential treatments. —Will Feuer

Read CNBC’s previous coronavirus live coverage here: Brazil faces criticism over data; Germany reports record plunge in exports

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