JUST TESTED COVID POSITIVE OR EXPOSED TO COVID-19? RECOVERY, FASTER WITH ANTIBODY COCKTAIL THERAPY
3 min read
- USFDA authorizes Antibody Cocktail Therapy for therapy and post-exposure prophylaxis for Covid-19.
- Recent real-world study shows that the outcomes of casirivimab imdevimab treatment can significantly lower hospitalization and prevent deaths in high risk patients.
- Till now more than 35,000 patients have got the antibody cocktail therapy in India. Outcomes of Antibody Cocktail Therapy, shows promising fight against Covid-19.
- Recommended therapy for high risk, not fully vaccinated or low immunity patient.
- The antibody combination shortens the duration of symptoms by 4 days. Best given within 5 days of testing positive for COVID 19.
- Around 1068 patients have been administered with the treatment in Karnataka till date.
Mysuru: Nationally and internationally, a lot of efforts have been made to reduce the spread of COVID-19 virus. While everyone is collectively working towards ensuring that everyone is vaccinated, certain immediate therapies can be adopted to possibly delay the negative effects of COVID-19 on the human body.
A prominent therapy that has become a ray of hope is Antibody Cocktail Therapy, which is widely recommended by doctors to reverse Covid’s effects. It is seen as a game-changer in the present context and could be the solution that healthcare community is seeking.
There has been a lot of positive conversation around the monoclonal antibody cocktail treatment in India. Government of Kerala have listed the therapy in its Covid 19 treatment guidebook.
Recently, The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has also expanded the use of antibody therapy for post-exposure prophylaxis, or PEP, for people who have been exposed to COVID-19 and who are at a high risk of progression to severe disease if infected.
Many doctors are supporting the therapy and there are many reasons for preferring the drug. The recent real-world study published in E Clinical Medicine assessed the outcomes of antibody cocktail therapy treatment of mild to moderate COVID-19. This real-world study suggests that among high-risk patients with mild to moderate COVID-19, the antibody cocktail therapy is promising to fight against Covid 19 and reduced the rate of hospitalization.
Antibody cocktail is shown to be significantly in lowering hospitalization and fatality by 70% and shortening the duration of symptoms by four days in patients with mild to moderate covid 19 disease at risk of progression to severe disease. Those at high risk of developing severe COVID-19, such as those over 60 years old with co-morbidities like obesity or diabetes or those with severe cardiovascular, lung, renal, or liver disorders, or those who are immunocompromised. Cancer therapy, bone marrow or organ transplantation, immunological deficiencies, HIV (if poorly treated or symptoms of AIDS), sickle cell anaemia, thalassemia, and long -term use of immune-suppressing drugs and/or hospitalisation are examples. The drug can be administered to adults and children more than 12 years of age with mild to moderate COVID-19.
The cocktail reduced the risk of symptomatic infections by 81% when used as PEP among household contacts of individuals with SARS-CoV-2. PEP is recommended for those who are not fully vaccinated or “not expected to mount an adequate response to vaccination and in individuals who are at high risk for progression to severe COVID-19. The cocktail drug can be administered monthly for those who require repeat dosing for ongoing exposure for longer than 4 weeks and who are unlikely to mount adequate antibody response.
According to Dr Lakshmi Narasimhan, Consultant Pulmonologist, Manipal Hospitals, Mysuru, “Efficacy of antibody cocktail therapy is good and with the expectation of third wave, awareness about the right treatment is vital. If a Covid positive patient or an individual who has been exposed to Covid positive patient gets the antibody cocktail therapy at the right time, it is possible to prevent severity/hospitalization, especially in chronic cases.
Manipal Hospitals, Mysuru has treated more than 60 patients with Cocktail Antibody drug over the past 4 months. In our experience there has been <1% incidence of progression to severe disease and no deaths at all among the patients administered the drug. No patients experienced any adverse effects. With the current situation where we are strapped for resources, we must do everything that delays or prevent Covid-19 and help check the burden on the healthcare sector and families.
This drug has been proven to be a game changer in the fight against COVID 19. The drug acts best when given within 5 days of testing positive for COVID 19 but can be given upto 7 days.
About Antibodies Cocktail Drug:
Monoclonal Antibodies Cocktail Drug, Casrivimab, and Imdevimab are amongst the therapy options now available. The Central Drugs Standards Control Organization (CDSCO) recently granted the antibody cocktail (Casirivimab and Imdevimab) an emergency use authorization in India. Casirivimab and Imdevimab are antibodies that target the spike protein of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes Covid.
A mixture of two monoclonal antibodies is used in the treatment. Antibodies are proteins produced by the body to help it fight disease. Monoclonal antibodies are produced artificially in a lab. They are precise molecules which only bind to the virus and cause no side effects on the human body. They prevent the virus from attaching to human cells and then infecting them.
– Team Mysoorunews
Mysooru News
