A European biotechnology firm on Tuesday announced it’s seeking emergency authorization of a treatment it says can prevent symptomatic COVID-19. AstraZeneca said it submitted an emergency use authorization (EUA) request for an antibody combination drug dubbed AZD7442. “Vulnerable populations such as the immunocompromised often aren’t able to mount a protective response following vaccination and continue to be at risk of developing COVID-19. With this first global regulatory filing, we are one step closer to providing an additional option to help protect against COVID-19 alongside vaccines,” Mene Pangalos, executive vice president for biopharmaceuticals for AstraZeneca, said in a statement. AZD7442 combines tixagevimab and cilgavimab, two long-acting antibodies. The antibodies are derived from B-cells donated by convalescent patients who contracted COVID-19. The drug is administered as a shot through intramuscular injection and meant to prevent symptomatic COVID-19, the disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus. It has had mixed results in clinical trials. …