The British drugmaker has announced its COVID-19 antibody drug was 83 percent effective in cutting the risk of people contracting symptomatic illness in a six-month follow-up study. It cements AstraZeneca's lead in developing a preventive treatment for coronavirus. The company also found that patients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 showed that a higher dose of the therapy, AZD7442, cut the risk of symptoms worsening by 88 percent when given within three days of first symptoms.

       It means AstraZeneca could find itself proving both vaccines and treatment to the world in the fight against the virus.

       Announcing the results of the stunning trial, AstraZeneca said the therapy's "real advantage" was as a preventative shot, rather than as a treatment.

       The therapy is a long-acting antibody treatment derived from donated B-cells, which are a type of immune cell, from convalescent patients after SARS-CoV-2 for the prevention of symptomatic COVID-19.

       Then new results build on an earlier announcement.

       In August, AstraZeneca announced results from its trial which showed that AZD7442 reduced the risk of developing symptomatic COVID-19 by 77 percent compared to the placebo.

       The trial included participants with comorbidities who may need additional protection from SARS-CoV-2 infection, the release states.

       The preliminary findings show that AZD7442 has broad anti-COVID-19 protection, including from the variants known as Mu and Delta.

       The therapies could be used to treat people with weak immune systems.

       Many people with cancer, autoimmune disorders and transplanted organs cannot be vaccinated.

       This could be a welcome alternative for them.

       It comes after UK company GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) won a $1billion contract to supply Covid antibody treatment in US.

       GSK and the Nasdaq-listed Vir Biotechnology will supply the doses of sotrovimab, an investigational monoclonal antibody, by December 17 and Washington has an option to purchase additional doses until March next year.

       The contracts bring the total number of agreed sales to more than 750,000 doses worldwide.