Crucell antibody beats Tamiflu in preclinical test

LONDON, Dec 11 (Reuters) - An experimental antibody drug against influenza from Crucell (CRCL.AS) has strongly outperformed Roche's (ROG.VX) market-leading Tamiflu pill in preclinical tests, the Dutch biotech firm said on Thursday.

Crucell's mAb CR6261 was tested against a number of flu strains, including the bird flu strain H5N1, which experts fear has the potential to cause a pandemic in humans.

The results were presented at an antibody engineering conference in San Diego.

Because Crucell's product has yet to enter human tests, it is still many years away from reaching the market and may yet run into unexpected hurdles in clinical trials. (Reporting by Ben Hirschler, editing by Will Waterman)