Pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca has faced a small setback, as its recent antibody cocktail trial aimed to determine its effectiveness failed in its main goal to treat Covid symptoms in exposed patients. The trial results could negatively impact the pharmaceutical company's efforts to find alternatives to Covid vaccines. 

Results of antibody cocktail trial

The trial results revealed that the therapy named AZD7442 was 33 percent effective in reducing the risk of people developing symptoms than a placebo. However, medical experts believe that this figure is not statistically significant, as it could be due to chance and not due to the therapy. 

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The study which is not peer-reviewed yet included 1,121 participants in the United Kingdom and the United States. It should be noted that a vast majority of these participants were free of the Covid virus at the beginning of the trial. 

"While this trial did not meet the primary endpoint against symptomatic illness, we are encouraged by the protection seen in the PCR negative participants following treatment with AZD7442," said Mene Pangalos, AstraZeneca executive vice president, Reuters reports.

Italy suspends AstraZeneca Covid vaccines

A few days back, Italy had suspended the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine for people under 60 years due to the blood clot scare. Authorities took the decision to suspend the vaccine use after an 18-year-old woman died of a blood clot on June 10, after receiving the initial dose on May 25. 

Local media reports claimed that the woman suffered from autoimmune thrombocytopenia (low blood platelet count), and was on double hormone therapy. 

"The epidemiological scenario has changed, and so has the relationship between the benefits of vaccination and the potential risk of unusual blood clots," said Franco Locatelli, coordinator of the Technical Scientific Committee (CTS) which gives advice to the government on how to handle the pandemic. 

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