EU regulator authorizes 2 drugs for those at risk of severe COVID

BRUSSELS

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) gave the green light Thursday for the marketing authorization of two anti-COVID drugs, Ronapreve and Regkirona.

Ronapreve and Regkirona are both based on monoclonal antibody medicines using proteins designed to recognize and attach to the spike protein of the COVID-19 virus.

The EU regulator recommends Ronapreve for preventing COVID-19 as well as treating coronavirus patients older than 12 years who do not require supplemental oxygen and who are at increased risk of their disease becoming severe.

In the case of Regkirona, the EMA recommends treatment for adults who do not require supplemental oxygen and are also at increased risk of becoming severely ill.

Following the recommendation of the EMA, the European Commission will officially authorize the medicines to be marketed in the EU.

Ronapreve was developed by US-Swiss pharma companies Regeneron-Roche, while Regkirona is the invention of South Korea's Celltrion.