On Jul. 28, 2021, GlaxoSmithKline and Vir Biotechnology announced they had signed a Joint Procurement Agreement with the European Commission to supply up to 220,000 doses of sotrovimab, an investigational single dose SARS-CoV-2 monoclonal antibody for the treatment of adults and adolescents (aged 12 years and over and weighing at least 40 kg) with COVID-19 who do not require oxygen supplementation and who are at risk of progressing to severe COVID-19.

The Joint Procurement Agreement enabled participating European Union (EU) Member States to quickly purchase sotrovimab, following local emergency authorisation or authorisation at the EU level, to treat high-risk patients with COVID-19 who may benefit from early treatment with sotrovimab.