Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, stands before a hearing of the Senate Committee on Labor and Health Education Pensions in Washington, DC, USA, on Wednesday, September 23 of 2020.
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A mutated and most infectious strain of coronavirus first identified in South Africa is “disturbing” and may pose a threat to antibody treatments used to prevent people from falling seriously ill with Covid-19, he said. on Tuesday the White House health adviser, Dr. Anthony Fauci.
New coronavirus strains first identified in the UK and South Africa have caused some concern among scientists who say mutated variants are highly infectious, although they do not appear to be more deadly compared to previous strains.
So far, health experts have said there is no evidence that the mutations alter the effectiveness of current vaccines. However, there is some concern that the variant found in South Africa, known as 501Y.V2, may be more resistant to monoclonal antibodies, which have helped some people fight the virus when administered from of the first infection.
Through discussions with health experts in South Africa, Fauci said preliminary data show there is “more threat” that the strain will evade some of the protections offered by antibody treatments.
“It could have some impact on the protection of monoclonal antibodies and maybe even on the vaccine. We don’t know,” Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said during a question and answer session. replies to Schmidt Futures Preparation Forum.
He added that laboratory researchers from the National Institutes of Health and across the country are trying to quickly determine the possible impact of the South African strain.
“People ask me, ‘Are you worried?’ It’s not the kind of thing that worries me, but I do take it very seriously, ”Fauci said.
As viruses spread, they are expected to mutate over time as the peaks of their surfaces change, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The 501Y.V2 variant gets its name from the N501Y mutation found in the spike protein that the virus uses to access cells in the body.
This mutation is also seen in the variant of the UK health authorities identified in December, known as B.1.1.7. Although both variants found in the UK and South Africa shared the N501Y mutation, they are different, according to the World Health Organization.
Fauci has previously said that mutated variations of Covid-19 could pose a risk to coronavirus therapy. Unlike vaccines, which trigger an immune response that attacks different parts of the virus, monoclonal antibodies target a very specific component, Fauci told California Gov. Gavin Newsom in late December.
Eli Lilly chairman and CEO Dave Ricks told CNBC on Tuesday that he expects the company’s monoclonal antibody treatment to be effective against the variant found in the UK, even though South Africa. could pose more challenges. Eli Lilly’s drug received emergency authorization in the U.S. in November and was followed by another drug from Regeneron.
“The South African variant … is the one that’s worrying. It has more dramatic mutations in this peak protein, which is the target” of these antibody drugs, Ricks told Squawk Box. “Theoretically, it could evade our drugs.”
The CDC has not yet identified any 501Y.V2 variant strain in the United States, although the agency has found at least 72 cases with strain B.1.1.7 found in the United Kingdom as of Monday, according to CDC data .
– CNBC Holly Ellyatt i Kevin Stankiewicz has contributed to this report.