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

WASHINGTON, KOMPAS.com – After announcing his positive coronavirus diagnosis, Trump’s Covid-19 treatment turns to Regeneron’s antibody drug that remains unapproved as of yet.

The experimental drug given to President Donald Trump has been called one of the most promising approaches to preventing serious illness from a Covid-19 infection.

The company behind Regeneron’s antibody drug, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc., said that it agreed to supply a single dose as part of Trump’s Covid-19 treatment.

Read also: Donald Trump Tests Positive for Coronavirus, Begins Quarantine

The company administered the drug through an IV and at the request of Trump’s physician under “compassionate use” provisions.

The latter refers to a situation 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 are not yet known. No treatment has yet proved able to prevent serious illness after a coronavirus infection.

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Trump was given the experimental drug at the White House on Friday before he was taken to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, where he’ll be monitored, officials said. So far, Trump has had 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, given that this approach has worked against other diseases in the past.

“They’re not going to just sit around and watch to see if he gets sick,” Boulware said.

How antibodies work

Antibodies are proteins the body makes when an infection occurs; they attach to a virus and help the immune system eliminate it.

Vaccines trick the body into thinking there’s an infection so it makes these antibodies. But it can take weeks for them to form after natural infection or a vaccine.

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