Regeneron - the experimental antibody drug directed at Pres. Trump
The antibody drug given to President Donald Trump has been called just about the most promising approaches to protecting against serious illness from a COVID-19 infection, but continues to be in the experimental phase.
Its maker, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc., said the company agreed to supply an individual dose, given via an IV, for Trump at the request of his physician under “compassionate use” provisions, when an experimental medicine is provided on a case-by-case emergency basis, while studies of it continue.
The new drug is in late-stage testing and its safety and effectiveness aren't yet known. No treatment has yet proved able to prevent serious illness after a coronavirus infection.
Trump was given the experimental drug at the White House on Friday before he was taken to Walter Reed National Military INFIRMARY, where he’ll be monitored, officials said. So far, Trump has already established only mild symptoms, including fatigue.
Several physicians who treat COVID-19, including Dr. David Boulware at the University of Minnesota, had speculated that doctors might use the antibody drug, considering that this approach has worked against other diseases during the past.
“They’re not likely to just sit around watching to see if he gets sick,” Boulware said.
HOW ANTIBODIES WORK
Antibodies are proteins your body makes when contamination occurs; they put on a virus and help the immune system remove it. Vaccines trick your body into thinking there’s contamination so that it makes these antibodies.
But it can take weeks for them to form after natural infection or a vaccine. The drugs try to give that protection immediately, by supplying concentrated versions of 1 or two antibodies that worked best against the coronavirus in lab and animal tests.
Regeneron’s drug contains two antibodies to improve chances that it'll work. The company previously developed an effective Ebola treatment from an antibody combo.
WHAT’S KNOWN SO FAR
The drug is given as a one-time treatment via an IV. In multiple studies, Regeneron is testing it both for preventing infection and in persons already infected, like Trump, to try to prevent serious illness or death.
Earlier this week, Regeneron said partial results from about 275 COVID-19 patients who weren't sick enough to need hospitalization suggested it could possibly be cutting how long symptoms last and helping decrease the amount of virus patients harbor.
However, the study has not been completed, the results were only announced in a company news release and also have not been published or reviewed by other scientists.
TRUMP’S OTHER TREATMENTS
Trump’s physician, Dr. Sean Conley, said Trump also was taking zinc, vitamin D, an antacid called famotidine, melatonin and aspirin. None of these have been proven to work against COVID-19.
Trump apparently is not receiving hydroxychloroquine, a drug he widely promoted that has been shown in many studies to be ineffective for preventing or treating COVID-19.
