Frontiers in Pharmacology (Sep 2022)

Randomized, placebo-controlled, single-blind phase 1 studies of the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics of BRII-196 and BRII-198, SARS-CoV-2 spike-targeting monoclonal antibodies with an extended half-life in healthy adults

  • Xiaohua Hao,
  • Zheng Zhang,
  • Ji Ma,
  • Lin Cheng,
  • Yun Ji,
  • Yang Liu,
  • Dong Zhao,
  • Wen Zhang,
  • Chunming Li,
  • Li Yan,
  • David Margolis,
  • Qing Zhu,
  • Yao Zhang,
  • Fujie Zhang

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2022.983505
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 13

Abstract

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Background: BRII-196 and BRII-198 are two anti-SARS-CoV-2 monoclonal neutralizing antibodies as a cocktail therapy for treating COVID-19 with a modified Fc region that extends half-life.Methods: Safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and immunogenicity of BRII-196 and BRII-198 were investigated in first-in-human, placebo-controlled, single ascending dose phase 1 studies in healthy adults. 44 participants received a single intravenous infusion of single BRII-196 or BRII-198 up to 3,000 mg, or BRII-196 and BRII-198 combination up to 1500/1500 mg, or placebo and were followed up for 180 days. Primary endpoints were incidence of adverse events (AEs) and changes from pre-dose baseline in clinical assessments. Secondary endpoints included pharmacokinetics profiles of BRII-196/BRII-198 and detection of anti-drug antibodies (ADAs). Plasma neutralization activities against SARS-CoV-2 Delta live virus in comparison to post-vaccination plasma were evaluated as exploratory endpoints.Results: All infusions were well-tolerated without systemic or local infusion reactions, dose-limiting AEs, serious AEs, or deaths. Most treatment-emergent AEs were isolated asymptomatic laboratory abnormalities of grade 1-2 in severity. BRII-196 and BRII-198 displayed pharmacokinetics characteristic of Fc-engineered human IgG1 with mean terminal half-lives of 44.6–48.6 days and 72.2–83.0 days, respectively, with no evidence of interaction or significant anti-drug antibody development. Neutralizing activities against the live virus of the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant were maintained in plasma samples taken on day 180 post-infusion.Conclusion: BRII-196 and BRII-198 are safe, well-tolerated, and suitable therapeutic or prophylactic options for SARS-CoV-2 infection.Clinical Trial Registration:ClinicalTrials.gov under identifiers NCT04479631, NCT04479644, and NCT04691180.

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