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
They’ve been used for a while in the U.S. It’s what President Trump got when he came down with covid and it’s a pretty standard treatment for high risk people.
Rituxan, used to treat a variety of auto-immune disorders, is another type of monoclonal antibody therapy.
RE: it’s a pretty standard treatment for high risk people.
Just make it standard for everyone.
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.
Don’t mention this on Twitter or Facebook; you’ll get banned. Covid cures are absolutely forbidden topics.
RE: Don’t mention this on Twitter or Facebook; you’ll get banned.
Well, I do see Eli Lily advertising their Monoclonal Antibody treatment for Covid in Facebook.
As I have said all along — this is the way people who are not interested in vaccination should be treated if they come down with the disease.
Without delay, as early as possible seek this treatment. It turns you around within 24 hours. You have through day 10 to get this life saving infusion.
Forget all the other weaker treatments, this is the real deal.
Monoclonal antibody treatment seems the best option at this time IMO.
It was good enough to treat president Trump, it’s good enough for me.
I drank water and super doses vitamin c and zinc. I was over covid within two days. And I’ve had colds that were worse.
If someone is vulnerable, then by all means. However, let’s save the treatment for them rather than the 99% of us who won’t need anything more than chicken soup.
thats silly
put a cartridge in a chamber and spin it
take one for the team
Ditto to what you said, good advice.
To refine the position — if you are over 65 or have any risk factors, I would recommend this IMMEDIATELY — the earlier the better. If you fit the profile which an awful lot of people do, I would not wait for Vitamin C or Chicken soup to work.
This should be targeted therapy, and honestly there is enough that I think anyone over 40 should get this immediately, particularly if symptomatic.
Forget all the other weaker treatments, this is the real deal.
If they can’t access this treatment, they should look at other treatments. I suggest they look at Dr Kory’s approach.
I’m ready at the first sign with ivermectin and zinc and the rest... but if I would see no improvement in 48hrs it would be off to the ER and an insistence on monoclonal antibody treatment.
Or even better, just go to the ER first thing and demand monoclonal antibody treatment.
It’s the smart move.
There is no reason why this treatment should not be accessible. I have little trouble getting patient is immediately who meet criteria.
In my judgment, it is medically irresponsible to advocate for anything of a lesser standard. There is no reason why this should not be pursued aggressively.
RE: Forget all the other weaker treatments, this is the real deal.
How sure are you that this treatment is available in all clinics and hospitals? And even if they are, is it STANDARD treatment they give to patients who come on an outpatient basis? If not, why not?
Except it is not through the ER in most places — this is an OUTPATIENT infusion and must be set up through a primary physician. In the Deep South, any physician can write the orders, this is a noncontrolled substance. Find the infusion centers in your area and get the order faxed there ASAP. It can happen as quick as 6 hours or take as long as 24 - 48, so START IMMEDIATELY with symptoms.
Great advice, thanks! :-)
In my judgment, it is medically irresponsible to advocate for anything of a lesser standard. There is no reason why this should not be pursued aggressively.
There are people who can’t access it.
I suggest that they don’t sit and remind everyone that you said they should get that treatment until running out of breath.
It is not available except in infusion centers. It is easy to web search what centers are in your area, then INSIST on your primary physician or any specialist to fax the order in. Most infusion centers will accomodate within 24 hours. Be aggressive an insist on it.
It would be far easier if I could use this in a hospital, but some freaking bureaucrat decided admission to a hospital means no outpatient treatment. I have a lot of patients with moderate disease in the appropriate time frame I wish I could give this to in the hospital.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.