OREANDA-NEWS. Experts from the Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology (IMB), Russian Academy of Sciences, together with other domestic research teams, have developed a highly effective drug based on monoclonal antibodies that "neutralizes" the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, including its delta variant, said the director of the institute, Academician Alexander Makarov.

"A year ago, we talked about the development of one of the first test systems for the analysis of antibodies against coronavirus, which helped in the search for donors for blood transfusion for seriously ill patients," Makarov said on Wednesday during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the development of genetic technologies. Using this test system, IMB scientists in cooperation with FMBA doctors and scientists from the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences "have developed a drug based on monoclonal antibodies that neutralize coronavirus, including delta and gamma variants," he added.

According to him, the high efficiency of the new drug has been proven by laboratory tests, including on animals.

"A dose of antibodies has been selected that reduces the viral load by a hundred thousand times, which is not inferior to the results of the use of the famous American drug Regeneron," said Makarov.