Celltrion Healthcare secure 300 COVID-19 antibody candidates in efforts to develop antiviral

·        Celltrion initiates the second stage; selecting the therapeutic antibodies which are most potent for neutralising the infection

·        Celltrion completed the first phase of screening 300 potential antibody candidates to treat COVID-19

·        Celltrion aims to initiate a clinical trial in July 2020

APRIL 03 2020, 09:00 BST, INCHEON, KOREA – Celltrion Group today announced its successful transition to the second phase of development for an antiviral treatment to fight the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, following the completion of the first phase of securing 300 different types of antibodies that bind to the antigen last month. The library of antibodies was created using the blood of recovered patients in Korea.

In cooperation with the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), Celltrion will be screening the antibodies to find the ones most effective in neutralising SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19. Celltrion anticipates the candidate screening for the therapeutic monoclonal antibody (mAb) will be complete by mid-April, sooner than originally expected.

Ki-Sung Kwon, Head of R&D Unit at Celltrion said, “Once we have selected the one that most effectively neutralizes the COVID-19 virus among hundreds of the screened antibodies, we will roll out mass production of the therapeutic antibody treatment, with a view to starting human trials this July. Due to the urgent need for a COVID-19 antiviral treatment, we have expedited the overall development process of our antiviral therapy to help infected patients fight this emerging virus and halt further spread of the disease.”