Armed with positive early safety data, South Korea's Celltrion says it will begin commercial production of its experimental treatment for COVID-19 this month, according to Reuters.
The drugmaker's treatment is designed to neutralize the D614G variant of COVID-19, which is associated with viral transmission. It was South Korea's first such antibody drug to be tested on humans.
The company told Reuters that it planned to make a request soon to regulators for emergency use authorization, but that it would start mass production — likely to amount to around 1 million doses — before receiving that approval.
Celltrion released safety data on its anti-COVID-19 monoclonal antibody today, reporting no "significant drug-related adverse events, and importantly there were no adverse events from the maximum tolerated dose cohort.” Back in July, South Korea regulators approved an early stage clinical trial of the drug. Celltrion also got a July approval to conduct a separate Phase I trial in the UK.