The jab uses lab made proteins that mimic the immune system’s ability to fight off harmful antigens such as viruses like the coronavirus, the FDA said DUBAI: Abu Dhabi has become the first city in the world to receive a shipment of a new drug to combat COVID-19 infection, Sotrovimab-VIR-783, state news agency WAM reported Wednesday. In May, the Ministry of Health and Prevention approved the emergency use of the drug, saying that the “anti-COVID-19 medication has shown to prevent severe illness and death in 85 percent of cases treated early.” The drug, developed by UK pharmacy giant GlaxoSmithKline (LSE: GSK) and the USA’s Vir Biotechnology, uses an investigational single-dose monoclonal antibody for the treatment of mild-to-moderate COVID-19 cases. It received FDA approval in May after developers applied for Emergency Use Authorization (EUA). The jab uses lab made proteins that mimic the immune system’s ability to fight off harmful antigens such as viruses like the coronavirus, the FDA said. The UAE has seen daily coronavirus cases fluctuate in recent weeks, with the country registering 2,011 new COVID-19 infections alongside four deaths Wednesday, according to the National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority (NCEMA).