AstraZeneca's experimental Covid-19 antibody drug cocktail succeeded in reducing severe disease or death in non-hospitalised patients in a late-stage study, the British drugmaker said.

The drug, called AZD7442, reduced the risk of developing severe Covid-19 or death by 50 per cent in patients who had been symptomatic for seven days or less, meeting the main goal of the trial, Reuters reports.

“An early intervention with our antibody can give a significant reduction in progression to severe disease, with continued protection for more than six months,” said Mene Pangalos, executive vice president, biopharmaceuticals R&D at AstraZeneca.

The company will discuss the data with health authorities, it added, without elaborating.