Monoclonal Antibody Treatment for COVID-19
In the early part of 2020, the world was taken by storm by the pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus now known widely as COVID-19. To date the world has struggled to develop safe and effective methods to prevent and treat COVID-19 disease. However, that is changing rapidly as our modern technology and scientific expertise advance. One such company Regeneron pharmaceuticals has presently developed state-of-the-art, independent, synthetic antibodies designed to directly attack the virus responsible for COVID-19 and reduce its infectivity within the human population. Welcome Regeneron Monoclonal Antibody Treatment. What are monoclonal antibodies? In essence, monoclonal antibodies are artificial proteins created in a laboratory which are designed to mimic the body's immune system to attack harmful pathogenic organisms like the virus responsible for COVID-19. Casirivimab and Imdevimab ("Regeneron") are newly developed recombinant human IgG1 monoclonal antibodies which have been specifically designed to target the spike proteins of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and block the virus’s ability to attach and gain entry into human cells. This mechanism essentially mitigates a key mediator of the virus's infectivity and provides an effective passive immunity for people infected with COVID-19. Regeneron's monoclonal antibody treatment has now been approved by the FDA for the emergency treatment of COVID-19 in adults and children greater than 12 years old who contract COVID-19 who are deemed at high risk for progressing to severe disease. As opposed to alternative forms of immunity such as vaccine derived immunity which develops over time, this neutralizing monoclonal antibody treatment provides an immediate passive immunity for people infected with COVID-19 and can limit the severity of the disease's progression.
12
INSPIRE HEALTH
The evidence supporting the use of monoclonal antibody treatment was derived based on several randomized double blinded placebo controlled clinical trials involving non-hospitalized adults with mild moderate COVID-19 symptoms. One such study which was recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine showed that the combination of Casirivimab and Imdevimab demonstrated remarkable results in the treatment of patients who tested positive for COVID-19, and who have comorbidities that put them at risk for progression to severe disease including hospitalization and death. In this study it concluded that non-hospitalized patients infected with COVID19 who received treatment with monoclonal antibody "Regeneron'' had a net 49% reduction in hospitalizations as compared to those who received the placebo. Similar studies have shown as much as a 66% reduction in progression to severe disease and hospitalization. In addition, a clinically significant reduction in viral load was measured with greatest effect noted in patients who had not yet mounted a considerable immune response to the virus, or those who presented with a high viral load at baseline. Further-
inspirehealthmag.com § #inspirehealthmag
more, the safety profile associated with this monoclonal antibody treatment was shown to be favorable, with less than .2% of subjects reporting side effects of moderate severity or greater. Based on the data extracted from these rigorous clinical trials and many other extensive research programs, there is extensive evidence to conclude that Monoclonal Antibody Treatments may represent a safe and effective treatment to combat COVID 19 infection throughout our population.
About
Keralty Hospital Miami, formerly known as Westchester General Hospital, has served the greater South Florida community since 1967, with 125 beds and specialized services such as Emergency Medicine, Surgical Services, and Intensive Care Units. Keralty Hospital Miami is located at 2500 S.W. 75th Ave., Miami, Florida 33155. For more information, visit www.keraltyhospital.com or contact Paola Rivas, Community Liaison at PRivas@KeraltyHospital.com.
