The company had published preliminary data suggesting that this approach, which combines laboratory-created antibodies to treat a variety of illnesses, suggests that it was successful in preventing serious hospitalizations in patients who were not too advanced in showing coronavirus symptoms.
On Wednesday another company, the pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly, said it had seen similar results with this method and is confident enough to apply for emergency use authorization (US) from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). . . . . .
Similar to Regeneron’s claims and published clinical trial data to date, Eli Lilly’s Antibody Cocktail was able to significantly reduce viral load (the amount of active virus) in patients who received treatment within 11 days and significantly reduced the need to use the emergency room. or hospitalization.
With two drugs in a row proving that the antibody cocktail method could be significantly effective, other companies may delve into that same approach.
However, these treatments are proving efficacy (and more importantly the absence of serious side effects) in those with mild to moderate COVID cases. The critically ill already hospitalized could be a different story.
Availability is a key detail that needs to be resolved, as mass production of an antibody drug is much more complicated than creating simpler chemical treatments.
Tens of thousands more doses of the combination therapy could be available by the end of this year, the company said in an emailed press release.
