COVID-19 monoclonal antibody therapy can reduce hospitalization and stress in the medical system

A new study published by the University of South Florida (USF Health) and Tampa General Hospital (TGH) shows that monoclonal antibodies (MABs), when given early to high-risk patients, are directed to COVID-19-related emergency departments. Effective in reducing visits and hospitalizations. .. When used under FDA guidelines, researchers suggest that this treatment can reduce the ongoing burden of pandemics on patients and limited medical resources.

The joint research was published on June 4th Open Forum Infectious Diseases..

Intravenous monoclonal antibody therapy in clinical trials is specifically designed to block infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. The FDA has granted an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for MAB in outpatients with mild to moderate COVID-19 who are at high risk of developing severe illness.like that High-risk patients Tends to be hospitalized, Mechanical ventilation Other complications, including death from coronavirus.

“Currently, the focus is on arming more vaccines, but thousands of people in the United States are still infected with COVID-19 daily, and a significant number suffer from serious complications. “We are,” said Asa Oxner, MD Associate Professor, the lead author of the study. Vice-Chair of Internal Medicine, USF Health Morsani Medical College.

“Unfortunately, it is only a small part of the target outpatients. Monoclonal antibody “Results like ours emphasize the importance of targeting this high-risk patient population with timely monoclonal antibody therapy to minimize stress on the healthcare system during COVID,” said Dr. Oxner. We hope to strengthen our public and healthcare providers. 19 Pandemics. “

Limited clinical trials have previously shown that MAB is most effective when given immediately after diagnosis. However, this USF Health-TGH collaborative study was one of the first studies to evaluate the practical efficacy of MAB when administered only to patients considered to be at high risk of progression to severe COVID-19. It was one. FDA defines Medical condition To give a few examples, factors that increase the risk of COVID-19 in adults and children over the age of 12 include the elderly (65+), obesity, diabetes, immunosuppressive disorders or treatments, chronic lung disease, and heart. There are vascular diseases and so on.

A retrospective study of the Academic Medical Center conducted from 18 November 2020 to 5 January 2021 included high-risk outpatients diagnosed with COVID-19, all from mild within 10 days. I experienced moderate symptoms. A group of 200 patients received one of two MAB therapies (one infusion)-casilibimab / imdebimab, a concomitant drug made with regenerone, or the drug gamlanivimab made by Eli Lilly. This treatment group Control group Of the 200 randomly selected outpatients, they declined or were not referred to MAB during the same period.

In the survey results:

• Overall, patients treated with MAB were significantly less likely to visit an inpatient or emergency department than control patients (40.5%) (13.5%). These results were still significant when individual monoclonal antibody therapies were compared to the control group.
• No deaths were reported in the MAB-treated group compared to 3.5% in the control group.
• Patients treated with MAB within 6 days of onset of symptoms were significantly less likely to visit an inpatient or emergency department (7.7%) than patients treated 6 days later (28.1%). Study data showed that MAB is best administered within 7 days of initial symptoms to reduce the likelihood of hospitalization within 29 days of infusion.

“It would be wise to consider reducing the FDA eligibility period for MAB within 7 days of the onset of symptoms, reflecting our findings,” the study authors write. “These drugs are relatively scarce resources and it would be practical to administer them to patients who are most likely to benefit.”

COVID-19 is squeezing financial and human resources across all healthcare systems, and the Florida Hospital Association estimates total losses from the start of the pandemic to August 2020 at $ 7.4 billion. The authors of the study conclude that they maximize the use of monoclonal antibody therapy under EUA guidance. It has the potential to “keep high-risk COVID-19 patients away from hospitals and reduce their negative impact on the healthcare system.”