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Sorrento Therapeutics skyrockets 244% after claiming a breakthrough on a COVID-19 antibody

 

Sorrento Therapeutics skyrocketed as much as 244% on Friday after the company said an antibody it was developing showed "100% inhibition" of the COVID-19 virus in preclinical studies.
 

The small biotechnology company said it planned to "generate an antibody cocktail product that would act as a 'protective shield' against SARS-CoV-2," the official name of the novel coronavirus.
 

Sorrento said it would ask regulators for "priority evaluation and accelerated review" of its antibody candidate. 

 

 

https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/sorrento-therapeutics-stock-price-surges-covid-19-drug-development-claim-2020-5-1029207624

 

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Sorrento claims it has COVID-19 cure

 

May 15, 2020 9:17 AM ET|About: Sorrento Therapeutics,... (SRNE)|By: Douglas W. House, SA News Editor 

Sorrento Therapeutics (NASDAQ:SRNE) gallops 56% premarket on robust volume in reaction to reports that it has discovered an antibody, dubbed STI-1499, that, it says, can provide 100% inhibition of COVID-19 and flush out the SARS-CoV-2 virus from the body within four days.
 

"We want to emphasize there is a cure," says CEO Henry Ji. "If we have the neutralizing antibody in your body, you don't need the social distancing.

 

https://seekingalpha.com/news/3575064-sorrento-claims-covidminus-19-cure

 

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California biopharmaceutical company claims coronavirus antibody breakthrough

EXCLUSIVE — A California-based biopharmaceutical company claims to have discovered an antibody that could shield the human body from the coronavirus and flush it out of a person’s system within four days, Fox News has exclusively learned.

Later Friday, Sorrento Therapeutics will announce their discovery of the STI-1499 antibody, which the San Diego company said can provide "100% inhibition" of COVID-19, adding that a treatment could be available months before a vaccine hits the market.
 

"We want to emphasize there is a cure. There is a solution that works 100 percent," Dr. Henry Ji, founder and CEO of Sorrento Therapeutics, told Fox News.

 

https://www.foxnews.com/science/covid-cure-california-biopharmaceutical-coronavirus-antibody-breakthrough

 

I'm a bit wary of anything that originates with Fox News... but still.... an interesting development.

 

It's good if in works after injection into humans- these results as yet are only in cells in culture. However it is quite feasible that this antibody will work in whole bodies as well

 

It's bad in one aspect because if it does block infection in humans, protection will only last as long as the antibodies  persist, so treatment will involve indefinitely repeated injections. 

 

As this is a private for profit company they will likely charge enormous amounts for the drug - monoclonal antibodies like these are currently used to treat a large number of conditions including many cancers, psoriasis, lupus, haematological disorders and so on,  but cost an average of $100,000 per year [for reference see https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29461857].

 

It is unlikely then that this will be realistic for world-wide application, especially in low income countries.

 Sometimes the cure is worse than the disease. 

As per above.

I wouldn't want to be too pessimistic about this antibody - IF it works as promised it will be a hugely effective acute treatment for the disease. That is, it could save the life of an already infected person whose symptoms are worsening, with a few injections.

On 5/16/2020 at 9:44 PM, geriatrickid said:

 Sometimes the cure is worse than the disease. 

As per above.

 

All kinds of researchers all around the world are hunting for cures and/or vaccines for this thing. Both treatments and vaccines would each have their uses in a worldwide pandemic.

 

Even if this method proves to be successful, that won't stop others from researching other methods, both treatments and vaccines.

 

I fail to follow your notion here that somehow an actual cure is worse than the disease.  Every little bit helps with a disease such as COVID, where right now, the medical arsenal is pretty much empty.