Human Antibody-based COVID-19 Drug Begins Clinical Trial In China

Employees oversee the COVID-19 vaccine production process at the Beijing Biological Products Institute, a unit of the China National Biotec Group (CNBG) (photo: doc. between)

JAKARTA - The human antibody-based COVID-19 drug developed by Sinopharm's subsidiary, CNBG, has now received permission from the Food Drugs Control Authority in China to enter the clinical trial stage.

According to a CNBG source as quoted by Chinese media, Sunday, September 5, the approval has been obtained since August 30.

Human antibodies or human immune globulins are developed from the plasma of recovered COVID-19 patients.

Several health experts state that the drug is effective in treating COVID-19 patients who are in critical condition.

The drug, which has just received trial approval, can neutralize antibodies to the new coronavirus, CNBG said.

CNBG has produced plasma derived from donations from recovered patients since early 2020, so it is believed to be effective in treating patients in severe conditions. Health experts in China are trying to use the product to treat patients.

Unfortunately, CNBG did not provide further details about the place and time of clinical trials of the new drug.

CNBG previously claimed to have carried out rigorous screening in processing plasma donated by survivors.

In addition to routine tests, nearly 30 additional aspects will also be tested, including several respiratory and intestinal bacteria as well as pathogens for five types of infectious diseases such as HIV, HBV and syphilis.

Virus inactivation treatment (attenuated virus) will also be carried out to increase the safety of plasma products.

It will take CNBG at least a week from plasma collection to preparing a product that can be used on COVID-19 patients.

On average one survivor can donate 400 milliliters of plasma to save two or three critically ill patients.

In addition to new drugs, CNBG has also produced six anti-epidemic products, including two vaccines that are effective against various types of viral mutations and other COVID-19 drugs based on monoclonal antibodies (artificial immunity) which are the result of cloning white blood cells.