Regeneron’s Unapproved Antibody Drug Praised as Trump Recovers

WASHINGTON, KOMPAS.com - Regeneron’s antibody drug was given as part of Trump’s Covid-19 treatment and the US President has since praised the experimental treatment.

President Donald Trump credited Regeneron’s experimental antibody drug treatment with helping his recovery and suggested his diagnosis could be a “blessing in disguise" in the nation's battle against the pandemic.

But there is no way for the US President or his doctors to know whether the drug had any effect in Trump's Covid-19 treatment.

Read also: Trump’s Covid-19 Treatment is Regeneron’s Unapproved Antibody Drug

In a new White House video posted Wednesday evening, Trump said his Covid-19 diagnosis had shed light on Regeneron’s experimental antibody drug cocktail that he tied to his improved condition.

Seemingly sensitive to the fact that his treatment course has been far more comprehensive than the care received by average Americans, he promised to swiftly get Regeneron's drug approved for broader use — and distribute it for free — even though he does not have the power to order that himself.

“I want everybody to be given the same treatment as your president because I feel great,” Trump said in a video from the Rose Garden. “I feel, like, perfect.”

Still, questions continue to swirl about the trajectory of Trump's coronavirus recovery and when he might be able to return to normal activities, including campaigning, less than four weeks before Election Day.

The video marked Trump's first appearance before a camera — albeit a White House-operated one —in nearly two days.

The White House has released only limited details about his condition and Trump's Covid-19 treatment, leading to questions about what lies ahead for the US President.

Read also: Trump Joins List of World Leaders Diagnosed with the Coronavirus

Trump received an experimental antiviral cocktail made by Regeneron through a “compassionate use” exemption, a recognition of the above-and-beyond standard of care he receives as president.

The safety and effectiveness of the drug have not yet been proven. And there is no way for the president or his doctors to know that Regeneron's antibody drug had any effect. Most people recover from Covid-19.

It's not the first time the president has trumpeted an unproven Covid-19 treatment.

He spent months painting the anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine as a miracle treatment for the novel virus — taking a preventative course himself — even though experts have said it is not effective against Covid-19.

Trump hailed the Regeneron cocktail even as drugmaker Eli Lilly moves forward with its own similar treatment.

Eli Lilly formally asked the Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday to allow emergency use of its experimental antibody based on early results suggesting it reduces symptoms.

There is no timetable for the FDA to make a decision, though the agency has moved on such applications within weeks.

Lilly says it could supply as many as 1 million doses of its therapy in the final quarter of 2020, with 100,000 available in October.

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