COVID-19: Antibody therapy may reduce hospitalization, emergency visits, and study results

When a virus or bacterium infects someone, the body fights back. The immune system produces antibodies that are essential for fighting and eliminating the virus.

COVID-19 (new coronavirus infection) (# If there is no character limit, add parentheses when it first appears Patients who received the new antibody had fewer symptoms than those who did not receive treatment and were less likely to require hospitalization or emergency care, according to a new study.

Ongoing Phase II clinical trial. The interim results were published in The New. England The Journal of Medicine tested three different doses of LY-CoV555, a monoclonal antibody derived from the blood of recovered COVID-19 patients.

The analysis showed a reduction in viral load in outpatients with mild to moderate COVID-19 cases at dose levels of 2,800 milligrams, and a reduction in hospitalization rates and emergency medical care for patients at all dose levels. ..

“For me, the most important finding was a reduction in hospitalization,” said Peter Chen, co-lead author of the study at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in the United States.

“Such monoclonal antibodies have the potential to reduce the severity of COVID-19 in many patients and allow more people to recover at home,” Chen said.

According to researchers, monoclonal antibodies work by attaching to viruses and preventing replication.

They said LY-CoV555 binds to a specific protein in the novel Coronavirus, Called spike proteins, require the virus to enter and replicate in human cells.

Scientists said that by preventing the virus from replicating, antibodies slow down the replication process and allow the patient’s own immune system to move.

“What we are doing is to prevent the virus from causing excessive damage early in the process,” Chen said.

“Because we are buying patient time, their bodies can begin to develop their own immunity to fight the virus,” he added.

In this study, patients received either 700, 2,800, or 7,000 milligrams of antibody or placebo intravenously.

“In this interim analysis of the Phase 2 study, one of the three doses of the neutralizing antibody LY-CoV555 appeared to accelerate the natural reduction in viral load over time, while the other doses It didn’t accelerate by day 11, “the scientists wrote in the study.

Researchers used a nasopharyngeal swab to test the viral load of patients before and at several points after the drug was given.

They also submitted a questionnaire to the patient about subsequent symptoms and treatment.

According to the study, about 300 patients were treated (100 patients per dose level) and about 150 patients received placebo.

Scientists said that of the three dose levels, a dose of 2,800 milligrams was shown to be effective in reducing viral load.

By day 11, they said the viral load in most patients, including those in the placebo group, had decreased significantly.

However, researchers said further research is needed to validate these results.

“Publishing these data in peer-reviewed journals increases evidence of the potential usefulness of neutralizing antibodies as a treatment for people recently diagnosed with mild to moderate COVID-19, especially in high-risk patients. Will be added to, “says Ajay Nirula. , Another co-author of the study.

“These data show that LY-CoV555 may be effective in treating COVID-19 by reducing viral load, symptoms, and the risk of outpatient hospitalization,” Nirula said. I have.

A 29-day study showed that the hospitalization rate for the antibody-treated group was only 1.6%, compared to 6.3% for the placebo-treated group.

Researchers said a reduction in hospitalization was seen in all demographic groups, including groups in the high-risk category — adults aged 65 and over and a group with a high body mass index (35 and above).

For high-risk patients, hospitalization rates were 4.2% for patients treated with antibodies, compared to 14.6% for patients treated with placebo, they said.

The study states that the safety profile of patients treated with LY-CoV555 was similar to the safety profile of patients treated with placebo.

“We know that COVID-19 is especially difficult for the elderly, obese, and people with certain existing health conditions,” Chen said.

“Such antibody treatments may be most beneficial to people in these high-risk categories,” he added.

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