UAE assents to new anti-COVID19 drug for emergency use

The Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) of UAE has approved Sotrovimab (VIR-7831) anti-Covid19 vaccine, produced by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and Vir Biotechnology, for emergency use. It was ratified in the country to treat mild-to-moderate Covid19 after its emergency use was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration, making UAE the first country to approve the drug for emergency use, state news agency WAM reported.

The drug based on "monoclonal antibodies" is used to treat infected people aged 12 and over and is effective in treating emerging mutations, including Brazil, India, South Africa and the UK variants. Monoclonal antibodies are lab-made proteins that replicate unique white blood cells to fight pathogens.

Results showed a decrease of 85 per cent of cases requiring hospitalisation for over 24 hours or death in case of early dose administration, according to a press statement released by Vir Biotechnology.

"The new medicine will greatly contribute to speeding up the recovery of patients, reducing Covid-19-related deaths and treatment period in intensive care units," said AbdulRahman bin Mohamad Al Owais, Minister of MoHAP.

Meanwhile, the total number of vaccines administered in the UAE so far stands at 12,811,422. The current approved Covid19 vaccines in the country are SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine Inactivated Vaccine (Sinopharm), mRNA (Pfizer/BioNTech) and the Sputnik V.