Equine Polyclonal Antibodies Immunotherapy Against Covid-19/SARS-COV2-VOC

The highly contagious SARS-CoV-2 virus has generated an unprecedented pandemic with global dramatic health and socioeconomic consequences. Despite the progression of the global use of efficient vaccines, an increased transmissibility of variants of concern (VOC) is predominantly observed. Besides effective vaccination campaigns and new approved antivirals, hundreds of thousand patients have still been admitted to ICU in Europe in the first half of 2022. Passive immunotherapies based on monoclonal antibodies have shown a drop of neutralization potency against VoCs. A polyclonal approach might be effective to neutralize fast-evolving VoCs and prevent worsening medical conditions for hospitalized patients at risks. 

The main objective of the the European EPIC-CROWN-2 consortium is to rapidly assess, in multicentric clinical trials (phase IIa/b) an EMA-authorized antiviral immunotherapy based on potent and broad equine neutralizing anti-SARS-CoV-2 polyclonal F(ab')2 antibodies in COVID-19 patients, including VOC carriers.