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Vir Biotechnology said Thursday that a long-acting antibody drug designed to protect healthy individuals from influenza A failed to do so in a nearly 3,000-person clinical trial.

Volunteers who received the highest dose of the drug, known as VIR-2482, were only 16% less likely than the placebo group to develop symptomatic influenza A infections, as defined by trial criteria, over a seven-month period. The difference was not statistically significant.

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The results are a setback in broader efforts to develop better protective measures against both seasonal and potential pandemic influenza strains. In the short term, Vir and outside experts hoped VIR-2482 could provide additional annual protection for at-risk groups like older adults, as flu vaccines are often only modestly effective.

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