(Bloomberg) -- GlaxoSmithKline Plc and Vir Biotechnology Inc. will supply $1 billion worth of doses of their Covid-19 antibody treatment to the U.S. in the next month.
The companies announced a contract on Wednesday that brings the number of doses ordered to 750,000 worldwide, they said in a statement. The medicine, sotrovimab, can prevent Covid patients from becoming severely ill.
“Given the large number of patients who continue to become ill with Covid-19 across many regions in the U.S., there is an ongoing need for access to effective treatments,” said Hal Barron, Glaxo’s chief scientific officer.
The drug appears to retain its efficacy against the delta variant judging from in vitro data, the companies said. Glaxo didn’t immediately return calls seeking comment on the new contract.
