After another Kevzara fail in COVID-19, Sanofi and Regeneron shift their attention elsewhere – FiercePharma

In yet another hitfor IL-6 inhibitors inCOVID-19, Sanofi and Regeneron's Kevzara failed a study in hundreds of severe and critical patientsand the partners are now giving up on the rheumatoid arthritis med as a coronavirus treatment.

In a Tuesday update, Sanofi said that its study of Kevzara in 420 patients inArgentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Japan, Russia and Spain didn't meet its endpoints. Patients who received the medicine did experience slightly shorter hospital stays and speedier improvements in their condition versus placebo, but the results werent statistically significant.

The Kevzara study, like othersfor Roche's IL-6 inhibitor Actemra, came from a theory that inhibiting IL-6 may help stave off the potentially deadly cytokine storm associated with some COVID-19 infections. Even though thetrial failed,Sanofi isproud of its work advancing knowledge of the disease, R&D chief John Reed said in a statement.

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In times like these, commitment to properly designed, controlled clinical trials, provides the information and understanding the scientific community needs for fact-based decision making, he added.

RELATED:Sanofi, Regeneron shut downKevzaratrial in COVID-19 after finding no benefit for ventilated patients

The latest results follow last month's failure of a U.S. study of Kevzara in coronavirus patients. Regeneron, which led that trial, reportedsome minor positive trends," but again the meds benefit didnt reach statistical significance.

While Sanofi and Regeneron aren't planning any further studies on Kevzara, Roche said in late July it's committed to researching Actemra in COVID-19, including in combo with Gilead's remdesivir.

Looking forward for Sanofi, the companyis advancing two COVID-19 vaccine candidatesone in partnership with GlaxoSmithKline and other with Translate Biowhile Regeneron has a promising antibody treatment. In a note this week, analysts with Morningstar said a Regeneron cocktailtherapy could score $6 billion in revenue next year if approved.

RELATED:Sanofi chose a proven platform over speed in its COVID-19 vaccine hunt, CEO says

Thecoronavirusvaccine field, meanwhile, will be worth around $18billion next year, Bernstein analyst Ronny Gal wroteon Monday. His team predicts the Sanofi/GSK partnership will earnaround $2 billion in COVID-19 vaccine revenues during 2021 and 2022, with the number graduallydecliningin later years.

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After another Kevzara fail in COVID-19, Sanofi and Regeneron shift their attention elsewhere - FiercePharma