Photo for illustration. — Photo chinhphu.vn

HÀ NỘI —  Representatives from Việt Nam’s Health Ministry and France’s Xenothera, a medical laboratory in Nantes, on Wednesday had an online meeting over their co-operation in phase-3 clinical trials and technological transfer to produce XAV-19, a drug used in COVID-19 treatment.

XAV-19 is a polyclonal antibody directed against the SARS-CoV-2 virus, attacking the virus in multiple ways.

The results of phase 1 and 2 clinical studies show that the drug is safe and effective in preventing the disease from getting worse, neutralising the virus and reducing inflammation in patients.

It is proved that the polyclonal property of XAV-19 makes the treatment effective against the SARS-CoV-2 strains that have been discovered to date. 

This polyclonal antibody also can create immediate immunity and prevent viruses from entering cells. This is an important difference from the monoclonal antibodies that are currently being used to treat patients in the early stages of infection. 

Phase 3 of clinical trials of the XAV-19 is carried out in France and other European countries like Greece, Bulgaria, Romania and Spain.

At the meeting, Odile Duvaux, Xenothera's Chief Executive Officer, said they were willing to co-operate with Việt Nam in conducting phase-3 clinical trials in the country.

She also expressed the company's goodwill for further co-operation, particularly those relating to technological transfer so that Việt Nam could produce XAV-19 by itself in future.

In late May this year, the French Government signed a contract with the medical laboratory to reserve 30,000 doses of XAV-19, designed to stop patients from becoming seriously ill after the treatment was approved for use in an emergency.

Deputy Minister of Health Trần Văn Thuấn said at the meeting that Việt Nam appreciated promising results of the first and the second phases of XAV-19 clinic trials.

Việt Nam was willing to co-operate with the laboratory in phase 3 of clinical trial and technological transfer so that the country could access additional COVID-19 treatments, he said.

The meeting between Việt Nam’s health authority and the French medical laboratory took place after a local group - the Advanced International JSC of Việt Nam (AIC Group) – contacted Xenothera and connected it with the ministry.

After the meeting, the two sides would continue discussions to prepare for a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) over their co-operation on XAV-19 clinic trials and technological transfer. — VNS