AstraZeneca Signs Covid Deal with U.S. Defense, Medical Agencies

AstraZeneca Plc advanced on another front in the Covid-19 battle, signing a deal with two U.S. government agencies and Vanderbilt University to develop antibodies that could both prevent and treat the disease.

The U.K.’s biggest drugmaker licensed two immune proteins from Vanderbilt and signed an agreement with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority to develop and conduct an early clinical trial, according to a statement Tuesday. If successful, the antibodies could serve as an alternative to vaccinations in some cases.

AstraZeneca, based in Cambridge, England, has been at the forefront of attempts ...