An Antibody Treatment for COVID-19 once taken by President Donald Trump, has been given an Emergency Use Authorization by the Food and Drug Administration. Studies show Regeneron’s REGN-COV2 reduced the amount of virus in the body and damage caused by it. Researchers hope the drug can keep patients from getting sicker and keep them out of the hospital.
The drug was part of a clinical trial at University of Wisconsin Health’s Hospital in Madison. Dr. William Hartman says “the goal is to make this people better but do it in the outpatient arena so they never have to come to the hospital, never have to come to the emergency room.”
The FDA decision will allow doctors across the country to prescribe the drug therapy to patients. The best candidates for the drug will be this who have “comorbitities that put them at risk for developing severe disease, and that also is developing symptoms” says Hartman.
UW Health clinical trial participant Lane Manning says he was diagnosed with COVID-19 in September, along with his sister and daughter. He believes the Regeneron drug helped him recover quicker. “We don’t have this documented like on a chart or anything like that, we’re pretty sure that I felt better way ahead of the others” said Manning.
Dr. Hartman says the drug will be in limited supply when it is first made available and doctors will have to be selective with who gets it.