Doctors are turning to antibody drugs in an effort to keep hospitals from becoming overwhelmed amid the latest surge of COVID-19 cases. The Delta Variant is putting many hospitals – those in largely unvaccinated communities at risk of filling up.
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc., delivered over 135,000 doses to U.S. health care providers last week. IT was a gigantic leap over those delivered a month earlier.
In past months, as few as 5% of hospitalized patients were receiving these treatments, according to The Wall Street Journal. However, as many as 30% are receiving the treatment now.
In January 2021, the federal government agreed to pay $2.63 billion for 1.25 million doses, equivalent to $2,100 per dose of Regeneron’s drug. It’s a mix of two antibodies. Monoclonal antibodies are lab-made proteins, that can mimic the immune system’s ability to fight off threats like the coronavirus.
Health officials in Texas and Florida have been advocating for this treatment, but experts warn that this is not the best path forward. “The way out of this pandemic is through vaccination and preventive measures to stop you from getting Covid in the first place,” Dr. Leana Wen, an emergency physician and visiting professor of health policy and management at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health said last week.
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