Britain's GSK and partner Vir said on Friday their antibody-based COVID-19 therapy met the primary goal of a late-state study assessing intramuscular administration of the drug as a treatment for the illness in its early stages.

The study showed the treatment, sotrovimab, when injected into the muscle was as good as when given intravenously for early treatment of mild-to-moderate COVID-19 in high-risk, non-hospitalized adults and adolescents.

The results open up possibilities for making the treatment available more widely.