British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline Plc and U.S-based Vir Biotechnology will evaluate a second antibody-based treatment in patients with mild to moderate COVID-19 in an early-to mid-stage trial, the companies said on Tuesday.

The new trial, supported by England's National Health Service, is expected to commence in the first quarter of 2021 at multiple sites across the United Kingdom, the conglomerates said in a joint statement.

This would become the second mAb from the Vir-GSK collaboration to be investigated as a potential COVID-19 treatment, with the first currently being assessed in two worldwide late-stage studies. "This study will be vital... as we work to understand whether the modifications we have made to this monoclonal antibody increase its potency and stimulate a T cell response to not only provide therapeutic benefits but also potentially confer a vaccine-like effect," Vir CEO George Scangos said.

Other drugmakers testing mAbs as COVID-19 treatments include Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc, Eli Lilly, Roche, and AstraZeneca. GlaxoSmithKline is also working on a COVID-19 vaccine with Sanofi, but last month the French company said the shot showed an insufficient immune response in clinical trial results.

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