COVID-19 Treatments: Regeneron Antibody Cocktail
A “cocktail” of two potent monoclonal antibodies from Regeneron could be a breakthrough early intervention for COVID-19.
A “third” wave of rising coronavirus cases in the United States reminds us that we are still in the middle of a global pandemic. COVID-19 has already claimed more than 220,000 lives, and as new cases continue to rise each day, there is fresh concern about many more lives at risk in the coming weeks.
Most people who are infected with the SARS-CoV-2 novel coronavirus recover on their own. However, there are many others who need emergency hospital care within 10-12 days of initial infection. Once hospitalized, these patients can deteriorate quickly, especially if they have to be intubated due to the severe respiratory stress caused by COVID-19. Recently, several treatment options have become available to treat the most seriously ill patients. Antivirals such as Remdesivir and corticosteroids such as Dexamethasone are now being used to improve the recovery time and mortality rate among hospitalized patients. However, their curative effect against COVID-19 has not yet been established and these treatments are not widely available to the public.
Understanding the Antibody Cocktail
Ever since the news of President Trump’s positive COVID-19 diagnosis, and his subsequent treatment with an antibody cocktail, Remdesivir and Dexamethasone became public, there is a new focus on these treatment options. However, there is a lot of confusion out there about what these treatments can and cannot do. On one side, you have people claiming that these are “miracles”, while many on the other side remain skeptical about their safety and effectiveness.
It is against this background that we are beginning a new video series that will attempt to present available technical information on these emerging treatment options. Our perspective in this endeavor is that of an informed patient. We want to learn as much as we can from publicly available technical information, understand the evolving benefit-risk and be aware of our available options.
In the first video of our series, we are discussing the antibody “cocktail” from Regeneron that shows potential for an early intervention with symptomatic COVID-19 patients. We look at the benefit-risk based on results from a small 275 outpatient clinical trial. The FDA is now reviewing an Emergency Use Authorization of this treatment, which will make it available for broader use. We will continue to provide updates in the future as more results from other clinical trials are published.
Check out the video below for details and let us know if you have any questions or comments.
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