A new antibody cocktail being tested by researchers at the University of Virginia (UVA) was able to block 100% of all symptomatic coronavirus infections when people were exposed to the virus.
The cocktail, which is currently undergoing clinical trials, was manufactured by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, and instead seems to result in patients developing asymptomatic infections, which were shown to resolve within a week, according to interim data that has yet to be published.
Upcoming phase 3 trials are set to study if the cocktail can act as a means of passive immunization, meaning preventing infection in people exposed to COVID-19 but who have yet to actually develop the virus.
However, as it is an antibody cocktail rather than a vaccine, it is not expected to cause permanent immunity.
“This is the first treatment shown to prevent COVID-19 after a known exposure, and offers protection for unvaccinated individuals caring for a family member with COVID-19,” UVA Health’s William Petri Jr., MD, PhD, one of the leaders of the trial at UVA, said in a statement. 
“We expect that Regeneron will file for Emergency Use Authorization from the FDA so that this drug can be used outside of the context of a clinical trial.”