Subcutaneous REGEN-COV Antibody Combination in Early Asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 Infection: A Randomized Clinical Trial
Authors: O’Brien Meagan P. , Forleo-Neto Eduardo , Sarkar Neena , Isa Flonza , Hou Peijie , Chan Kuo-Chen , Musser Bret J. , Bar Katharine J. , Barnabas Ruanne V. , Barouch Dan H. , Cohen Myron S. , Hurt Christopher B. , Burwen Dale R. , Marovich Mary A. , Brown Elizabeth R. , Heirman Ingeborg , Davis John D. , Turner Kenneth C. , Ramesh Divya , Mahmood Adnan , Hooper Andrea T. , Hamilton Jennifer D. , Kim Yunji , Purcell Lisa A. , Baum Alina , Kyratsous Christos A. , Krainson James , Perez-Perez Richard , Mohseni Rizwana , Kowal Bari , DiCioccio A. Thomas , Stahl Neil , Lipsich Leah , Braunstein Ned , Herman Gary , Yancopoulos George D. , Weinreich David M. ,   for the COVID-19 Phase 3 Prevention Trial Team
Published: June 2021

Importance

Easy-to-administer antiviral treatments may be used to prevent progression from asymptomatic infection to COVID-19 and to reduce viral carriage.

Objective

Evaluate the efficacy and safety of subcutaneous casirivimab and imdevimab antibody combination (REGEN-COV) to prevent progression from early asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection to COVID-19.

Design

Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 3 study that enrolled asymptomatic close contacts living with a SARS-CoV-2–infected household member (index case). Participants who were SARS-CoV-2 RT-qPCR–positive at baseline were included in the analysis reported here.

Setting

Multicenter trial conducted at 112 sites in the United States, Romania, and Moldova.

Participants

Asymptomatic individuals ≥12 years of age were eligible if identified within 96 hours of collection of the index case’s positive SARS-CoV-2 test sample.

Interventions

A total of 314 asymptomatic, SARS-CoV-2 RT-qPCR–positive individuals living with an infected household contact were randomized 1:1 to receive a single dose of subcutaneous REGEN-COV 1200mg (n=158) or placebo (n=156).

Main Outcome(s) and Measure(s)

The primary endpoint was the proportion of participants who developed symptomatic COVID-19 during the 28-day efficacy assessment period. The key secondary efficacy endpoints were the number of weeks of symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection and the number of weeks of high viral load (>4 log10 copies/mL). Safety was assessed in all treated participants.

Results

Subcutaneous REGEN-COV 1200mg significantly prevented progression from asymptomatic to symptomatic disease compared with placebo (31.5% relative risk reduction; 29/100 [29.0%] vs 44/104 [42.3%], respectively; P=.0380). REGEN-COV reduced the overall population burden of high–viral load weeks (39.7% reduction vs placebo; 48 vs 82 total weeks; P=.0010) and of symptomatic weeks (45.3% reduction vs placebo; 89.6 vs 170.3 total weeks; P=.0273), the latter corresponding to an approximately 5.6-day reduction in symptom duration per symptomatic participant. Six placebo-treated participants had a COVID-19–related hospitalization or ER visit versus none for those receiving REGEN-COV. The proportion of participants receiving placebo who had ≥1 treatment-emergent adverse events was 48.1% compared with 33.5% for those receiving REGEN-COV, including events related (39.7% vs 25.8%, respectively) or not related (16.0% vs 11.0%, respectively) to COVID-19.

Conclusions and Relevance

Subcutaneous REGEN-COV 1200mg prevented progression from asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection to COVID-19, reduced the duration of high viral load and symptoms, and was well tolerated.

Trial Registration

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier, NCT04452318

KEY POINTS

Question

Can treatment with the anti–SARS-CoV-2 antibody combination REGEN-COV prevent COVID-19 and reduce viral load when given to recently exposed and asymptomatic individuals?

Findings

In this randomized, double-blind, phase 3 trial, subcutaneously administered REGEN-COV 1200 mg significantly reduced progression of asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection to symptomatic infection (ie, COVID-19) by 31.5% compared with placebo. REGEN-COV also reduced the overall population burden of high viral load weeks (39.7% reduction vs placebo; 48 vs 82 total weeks; P=.0010).

Meaning

In the current pandemic, utilization of subcutaneous REGEN-COV prevents progression of early asymptomatic infection to COVID-19 and reduces viral carriage.