Posted on 07/18/2021 8:30:35 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
As Mumbai city’s management and medical experts prepare for an anticipated third wave of Covid-19, an experimental drug has offered a glimmer of hope against the virus.
Known as monoclonal antibody cocktail, the drug’s response has been analysed in 199 patients who were admitted to Mumbai’s Seven Hills Hospital, and the findings are promising, say doctors. Their analysis underlined two important findings – persistent fever in patients resolved within 48 hours and the days of hospitalisation were reduced. This suggests that the drug could play a role in reducing the number of severe Covid-19 cases and thereby the fatality. More studies with larger sample sizes can provide a better understanding of the drug’s usefulness in the fight against Covid-19.
Here’s everything that we know about monoclonal antibodies and the drug cocktail.
When our bodies are attacked by an infection caused by viruses or bacteria, they produce natural antibodies or proteins to fight back. These antibodies are crucial in our immune system’s defence mechanism. Monoclonal antibodies are similar to natural antibodies except that they are laboratory-made. They are designed to target a specific disease and are often referred to as ‘designer antibodies’.
Monoclonal antibodies have been widely used in cancer and autoimmune diseases. A 2020 review published in the Journal of Biomedical Science stated that antibody engineering has evolved dramatically since the first monoclonal antibody was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in 1986 and over the past five years, antibodies have become the best-selling drugs in the pharmaceutical market worldwide.
A monoclonal antibody cocktail drug is a combination of two or more monoclonal antibodies that are administered to patients. Last November, the US FDA issued an emergency use authorisation to REGEN-COV, which contains two monoclonal antibodies – casirivimab and imdevimab – to be administered together for treating mild to moderate Covid-19 patients. The cocktail is indicated for adults and paediatric patients (12 years of age or older weighing at least 40 kg) who were at the risk of progressing to severe Covid-19. India granted an emergency use authorisation to the drug in May and it is the same used by doctors at Seven Hills Hospital. The drug is available in India through a tie-up between Roche India and Cipla.
There are other monoclonal antibody drugs in the fray for Covid-19. In June, India’s drug regulator gave an emergency use approval to American pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly’s antibody-drug combination – bamlanivimab and etesevimab. The same month, Indian company Zydus Cadila was granted permission to conduct clinical trials for its antibody-drug therapy.
The monoclonal antibodies mimic the actions performed by natural antibodies during an attack by a pathogen. For instance, casirivimab and imdevimab present in REGEN-COV are specifically made to target the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2, designed to block the virus’ attachment and entry into human cells.
“Thanks to its specific engineering of two neutralising antibodies which bind to different parts of the virus spike, the casirivimab and imdevimab cocktail remains efficacious against the widest spreading variants and reduces the risk of losing its neutralisation potency against new emerging variants,” said a release from Cipla.
Doctors who have used the cocktail drug said that timing is the key to get good results.
“One must also select the patients carefully,” said infectious disease specialist Dr Tanu Singhal, who practices at Mumbai’s Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital
Please instead of trying to detract from this life saving therapy, stop promoting weaker and less effective treatments.
It’s funny that you can’t resist your authoritarian impulses. If you had good arguments, you wouldn’t try to police which views people can propose.
If you have Covid and have to ask a doctor to be treated with it, then that doctor is not worth visiting. A good doctor SHOULD have heard about it and should be learning about it.
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I had a moderate case - almost severe - of Covid.
The trouble with getting monoclonal antibodies is as others have said - The government would rather push vaccines.
And when my doctor pushed for me to get these antibodies; I almost was ineligible.
I have no comorbidities. A little fudging on my blood pressure rates got me in.
RE: The trouble with getting monoclonal antibodies is as others have said - The government would rather push vaccines
Makes no sense. Vaccines are supposed to be administered BEFORE you are infected, the purpose is to PREVENT infection.
Monoclonal Antibodies are given as Treatment, AFTER infection to help you recover FROM the infection.
Each has its own purpose. There’s no conflict.
RE: I’m over 55 but with no risk factors. I wouldn’t qualify for monoclonal antibody infusion.
You would only qualify if you were diagnosed with Covid. Monoclonal Antibodies are only for those infected, not those who are not infected.
I’m very interested in this. Do you have links to studies to support this? Forgive me if you have already posted them.
It’s also used in chemo for B cell NOn-Hodgkin lymphoma. I had 8 treatments with 8 rounds of some other nasty (cyclophosphamide, vincristine, doxorubicin and high dose prednisone). One round ever 3 weeks. Rituxan Added to CHOP (RCHOP) increased cure rates 10-15%. Remarkable. Glad to have received it. It was $6K per infusion. I got a great return on investment.
You got a bargain. My doses were about $12K per dose. I told my husband my value just increased big time.
This is the latest info I’ve seen. It’s from the end of May. I wouldn’t qualify according to this:
* High-Risk Criteria in the Emergency Use Authorizations for Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Monoclonal Antibodies The FDA EUAs for all available anti-SARS-CoV-2 monoclonal antibodies and combinations have the same criteria for use: they allow for the use of the monoclonal antibodies for the treatment of COVID-19 in nonhospitalized adults and children aged ≥12 years and weighing ≥40 kg who are at high risk for progressing to severe COVID-19 and/or hospitalization. High-risk individuals as specified in the EUA are those who meet at least one of the following criteria:
* Body mass index (BMI) ≥35
* Chronic kidney disease
* Diabetes mellitus
* Immunocompromising condition
* Currently receiving immunosuppressive treatment
* Aged ≥65 years
* Aged ≥55 years and have:
* Cardiovascular disease, or
* Hypertension, or
* Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or another chronic respiratory disease.
* Aged 12 to 17 years and have:
* BMI ≥85th percentile for their age and gender based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention growth charts; or
* Sickle cell disease; or
* Congenital or acquired heart disease; or
* Neurodevelopmental disorders (e.g., cerebral palsy); or
* A medical-related technological dependence that is not related to COVID-19 (e.g., tracheostomy, gastrostomy, positive pressure ventilation); or
* Asthma or a reactive airway or other chronic respiratory disease that requires daily medication for control.
RE: Here in front of us is a safe treatment that is highly effective.
There are caveats according to one poster.
Apparently, not everyone qualifies for Monoclonal Antibody Treatment
See Post #48.
Here’s the link to where I got that information from:
That was the price my insurance paid. The billed cost was over 8k. I never understand the covered vs billed costs with that extreme disparity.
It works, had few side effects unlike the other meds. Even the high dose prednisone had more side effects.
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