China approves Brii Biosciences' antibody cocktail

China's medical products regulator said yesterday it had approved the use of Brii Biosciences' neutralizing antibody cocktail for COVID-19, the first treatment of its type against the virus in the country.

The combination of BRII-196/BRII-198 showed an 80 percent reduction of hospitalization and deaths in non-hospitalized COVID-19 patients at high risk of developing severe disease, based on final results from a Phase III clinical trial, Brii said in a statement yesterday.

The medicine from a Brii subsidiary was approved to treat mild COVID-19 and the disease of "normal type" with a high risk of progressing to hospitalization or death in adults and minors aged 12-17, the National Medical Products Administration said.

The results on how the Omicron variant would affect the antibody cocktail were expected to come out after about two weeks, Brii Chief Financial Officer Li Ankang said.

Brii's shares jumped as much as 13.7 percent to HK$48.75 (US$6.25) before retreating to end 0.5 percent yesterday.