Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc (REGN)

[midastouch017]

(Reuters) - Regeneron Pharmaceuticals said on Friday it would stop enrolling patients receiving advanced COVID-19 care in a trial testing its experimental antibody treatment in hospitalized patients, based on the recommendation of an independent safety board.

The recommendation was based on a potential safety signal and an unfavorable risk-benefit profile at this time, the company said. Rival Eli Lilly & Co stopped enrolling such patients based on a similar suggestion earlier this week.

“It appears a trend is emerging in the class, and it may be that neutralizing antibodies simply do not work and/or are not safe in this (hospitalized) population,” JP Morgan analyst Cory Kasimov said in a note.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-regeneron-pharms/regeneron-to-stop-enrolling-very-sick-covid-19-patients-in-antibody-trials-idUSKBN27F2AY