The National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) has granted emergency approval to two COVID-19 medicines, BRII-196 and BRII-198, for registration.
This is the first COVID-19 virus-neutralizing antibody combination therapy approved in China with its own intellectual property rights.
The two medications are used in combination to treat adult and adolescent patients with mild to moderate symptoms and severe risk factors for progression, according to the NMPA.
It stated that the medications are conditionally approved for adolescents aged 12 to 17 with a bodyweight greater than 40 kg.
The move comes as regulators around the world approve treatments, particularly for high-risk groups, amid concerns about the new Omicron variant.
China is also dealing with an increasing number of studies indicating that its vaccines have lower efficacy rates than many of those manufactured elsewhere.
Tsinghua University, the Third People’s Hospital of Shenzhen, and Brii Biosciences have collaborated to develop a cocktail therapy of monoclonal antibodies derived from antibodies isolated from COVID-19 survivors.
According to the drug authority, the treatment consists of a combination of two drugs administered via injection and can be used to treat certain cases that are at risk of worsening in severity.