On Mar. 25, 2020, Vir Biotech announced announced that it has identified multiple human monoclonal antibody (mAb) development candidates that neutralize SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19. To save time, Virﾒs lead development candidate was transferred at-risk to WuXi Biologics and Biogen weeks earlier, and Vir anticipates that human trials can begin within 3-5 months.

The ability of this antibody to neutralize the SARS-CoV-2 live virus has been confirmed in two separate laboratories. The antibody binds to an epitope on SARS-CoV-2 that is shared with SARS-CoV-1 (also known as SARS), indicating that the epitope is highly conserved. Vir believes that the conservation of this epitope will make it more difficult for escape mutants to develop.