Vir Biotechnology(NASDAQ:VIR) isn't first to cross the finish line with its antibody treatment for COVID-19. In fact, with its recent Emergency Use Authorization (EUA), it joins two much bigger players. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration earlier granted EUAs to Eli Lilly and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals for their antibody therapies.
Vir生物技术公司并不是第一个通过COVID-19抗体治疗的公司。事实上，通过最近的紧急使用授权(EUA)，它加入了两个更大的玩家。美国食品和药物管理局早些时候授予礼来公司和Regeneron制药公司的抗体疗法EUAs。
But concerns about antibody treatments have grown along with the emergence of variants. Regeneron said earlier in the year that its treatment is effective against current variants. As for Lilly, the U.S. recently said that company's treatment wasn't working on the Brazilian and South African variants -- the government halted distribution of the therapy in certain states. And this leads me to the statement from Vir CEO George Scangos that may offer the biotech company's antibody a boost.
但随着抗体变异的出现，人们对抗体治疗的担忧也在增加。Regeneron在今年早些时候说，它的治疗对目前的变种是有效的。至于礼来，美国政府最近表示，礼来的治疗在巴西和南非的变种药物上不起作用，政府停止了在某些州的销售。这让我想到了Vir公司首席执行官乔治•斯坎格斯的声明，该声明可能会提高这家生物技术公司的抗体。
Image source: Getty Images.In vitro studies show...
图片来源:Getty Images。体外研究表明……
In in vitro studies, "it retains activity against all known variants of concern, including the emerging variant from India," Scangos said regarding sotrovimab.
在体外研究中，“它保留了对所有已知变体的活性，包括来自印度的新变体，”Scangos在谈到sotrovimab时说。
The data show sotrovimab maintaining activity against the Brazilian, California, India, New York, South Africa, and U.K. variants. How does the treatment manage to do that? By targeting a part of the coronavirus spike protein that is less likely to mutate. The company and partner GlaxoSmithKline plan to monitor the antibody's performance against any future variants. They aim to make the treatment one for use today -- and in future coronavirus outbreaks.
数据显示，sotrovimab对巴西、加利福尼亚、印度、纽约、南非和英国的变种保持活性。治疗是如何做到的呢?通过靶向冠状病毒刺突蛋白不太可能变异的部分。该公司和合作伙伴葛兰素史克计划监测该抗体对未来任何变种的表现。他们的目标是使这种治疗方法适用于今天和未来的冠状病毒疫情。
The U.K. strain currently is the most dominant one in the U.S. And the U.K. and Europe are fighting growth of the India variant. In fact, scientists say this highly transmissible strain may soon become the dominant one in the U.K. So, it's clear that a treatment able to handle variants of concern holds a major advantage.Challenges facing antibodies
目前，英国菌株是美国最主要的菌株。英国和欧洲正在抗击印度菌株的增长。事实上，科学家们说这种高传染性的毒株可能很快就会成为英国的主要毒株。因此，很明显，能够应对各种担忧的治疗方法具有重大优势。抗体所面临的挑战
That's great. But you may worry about a problem that has held back use of antibody treatments. And that's the fact that they've seemed complicated for healthcare systems from the start. They only are authorized for a certain patient group (mild-to-moderate cases in people at risk of hospitalization or death). And they must be given at an infusion center or similar healthcare setting. For hospitals swamped with severely ill coronavirus patients, it's been difficult to devote resources to the use of antibody treatments.
太好了。但你可能会担心一个阻碍抗体治疗使用的问题。这就是医疗系统从一开始就显得复杂的事实。它们只被授权用于特定的患者组(有住院或死亡风险的人群中的轻中度病例)。而且必须在输液中心或类似的医疗机构注射。对于挤满了重症冠状病毒患者的医院来说，很难投入资源用于抗体治疗。
The good news is things are improving. Especially as strong data for antibody treatments come rolling in. Vir's trials showed its antibody treatment cut the risk of hospitalization or death by 85%. In recent weeks, states and healthcare facilities have made progress on making available infusion centers and staff. The Biden administration also has given the treatments a lift. The government in March promised to invest $150 million to expand access to antibody therapies.
好消息是情况正在好转。特别是随着抗体治疗的强有力数据的到来。Vir的试验表明，其抗体治疗将住院或死亡的风险降低了85%。最近几周，各州和医疗机构在提供输液中心和工作人员方面取得了进展。拜登政府也推动了这种疗法的发展。政府在3月份承诺投资1.5亿美元，以扩大抗体疗法的覆盖面。
What about vaccination? you might ask. With more and more people vaccinated, will need for antibody treatments drop? Not necessarily. There still are many scenarios that result in individuals contracting COVID-19. Some people aren't candidates for vaccination. Others refuse vaccination. And in some cases, even vaccinated individuals end up catching the virus. So, it's extremely important to have efficacious treatments available -- especially ones that can handle variants of concern.What does all of this mean for Vir and investors?
接种疫苗呢?你可能会问。随着越来越多的人接种疫苗，抗体治疗的需求会下降吗?不一定。仍有许多情况会导致个人感染COVID-19。有些人不适合接种疫苗。别人拒绝接种疫苗。在某些情况下，即使接种了疫苗的人最终也会感染病毒。因此，拥有有效的治疗方法是极其重要的——尤其是那些能够处理各种担忧的方法。这一切对Vir和投资者意味着什么?
Vir has a real opportunity here. Sotrovimab is the company's first commercialized product. So, we're looking at a revenue source. Rivals Regeneron and Lilly generated $262 million and $810 million, respectively, in coronavirus antibody sales in the first quarter.
Vir在这里有一个真正的机会。Sotrovimab是该公司的第一个商业化产品。所以，我们在寻找收入来源。竞争对手Regeneron和礼来今年第一季度的冠状病毒抗体销售额分别为2.62亿美元和8.1亿美元。
Considering sotrovimab's efficacy when faced with variants, it could gain major market share. As some states halt use of Lilly's antibody treatment, they may decide to give sotrovimab a try. Vir may also have an efficacy edge when compared to Regeneron's treatment. Regeneron's showed a 70% reduction in hospitalization or death in a phase 3 trial.
考虑到sotrovimab在面对变体时的疗效，它可能获得主要的市场份额。随着一些州停止使用礼来的抗体治疗，他们可能会决定尝试使用sotrovimab。与Regeneron的治疗方法相比，Vir可能也有疗效优势。在3期试验中，Regeneron显示住院或死亡减少70%。
All of this is positive for Vir's revenue prospects moving forward. So, the words of Vir's CEO may indeed signal market dominance -- or at least a leading position. And that's excellent news for investors in this biotech company.
所有这些对Vir的收益前景都是积极的。所以，Vir首席执行官的话可能确实是市场主导地位的信号——或者至少是领先地位。这对这家生物科技公司的投资者来说是个好消息。