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Cocktail called monoclonal antibodies protect against the severe course of COVID-19. This was proved by another study, the results of which were announced a few days ago. Thanks to antibodies, the risk of hospitalization and death from SARS-CoV-2 has decreased by as much as 87%. «The results are phenomenal» comments Bartosz Fiałek. What exactly are monoclonal antibodies and how do they work? We explain.
- Antibodies are proteins produced by the body to protect the body against pathogens such as SARS-CoV-2
- “Antibody cocktail” uses monoclonal proteins – they are produced in laboratory conditions and are designed to neutralize antigens (here SARS-CoV-2) and inhibit the multiplication of the virus in the body
- A second study of Eli Lilly’s monoclonal antibody cocktail found it reduced the risk of hospitalization and death from COVID-19 by 87 percent.
- Do you want to live longer? Make a simple test and find out how!
- You can find more up-to-date information on the coronavirus on the Onet homepage.
COVID-19. The antibody cocktail reduced the risk of hospitalization and death by as much as 87 percent.
“In addition to the COVID-19 vaccines, treatment research is ongoing. After all, until herd immunity is obtained, we must have drugs at our disposal in order to be able to help as many patients as possible »- explained Bartosz Fiałek, a specialist in the field of rheumatology and promoter of medical knowledge, in February. The doctor emphasized that “the medical world has the greatest hope in monoclonal antibodies”.
A few days ago, a study was published that showed the effects of using the so-called a cocktail of monoclonal antibodies in patients with COVID-19. Over 750 patients at high risk of severe course of SARS-CoV-2 infection participated in it. They were conducted by scientists from the American pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly, which developed a drug based precisely on monoclonal antibody therapy. “Its results are phenomenal” – admitted Bartosz Fiałek recently. As it turned out?
Analyzes showed that a cocktail of monoclonal antibodies from Eli Lilly reduced the risk of hospitalization and death from COVID-19 by as much as 87%. This is the second study that showed high efficacy of monoclonal antibody therapy in patients with mild to moderate COVID-19 but at high risk of severe infection. The results of the previous one (1 patients participated in it) were released in January – then a higher dose of drugs was used, and the reduction in the risk of hospitalization was estimated at 035%.
What’s more, Eli Lilly’s scientific director – Daniel Skovronsky noted that monoclonal antibody therapy provides better protection against new COVID-19 strains. Let us add here that Skovronsky talked about a drug created by Eli Lilly, which is a combination of two preparations containing monoclonal antibodies – bamlanivimab and etesevimab.
Monoclonal antibodies – what are they and how do they work?
What exactly are monoclonal antibodies, how do they work and what distinguishes them from antibodies contained in plasma? Let’s start from the beginning.
The goal of monoclonal antibodies, and antibodies in general, is to inactivate the pathogen. “This leads to – to put it simply – inactivation, that is, inhibition of the multiplication of the virus in the body of the person who was given these monoclonal antibodies” – explains Bartosz Fiałek.
Unlike our own antibodies, monoclonal antibodies do not arise naturally – they are produced under laboratory conditions. In other words, they are modified proteins that mimic natural antibodies to fight viruses. As Eli Lilly points out, these antibodies “can help reduce the amount of pathogen in the body”, giving the body more time to make its own antibodies.
The term “monoclonal” is also important here. It means that all these antibodies are the same and attack the virus in one specific place (for comparison, after vaccination, the body creates a mixture of antibodies that can attach to the virus in different places – then we are talking about polyclonal antibodies).
The study we wrote about at the beginning concerns a drug that is, in a way, a combination of two preparations containing monoclonal antibodies, namely bamlanivimab and etesevimab, already approved for emergency use in an emergency. This “antibody cocktail” is given as a single intravenous infusion.
Monoclonal antibodies in the treatment of COVID-19. When?
It is worth noting that this measure is not widely used at present. In February, however, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved its use in emergencies. The Eli Lilly concern points out that the therapy is approved for the treatment of mild and moderate COVID-19 in patients aged 12 years and older who are at high risk of severe disease, complications and / or hospitalization. At the same time, the FDA has not approved the use of bamlanivimab and etesevimab in patients hospitalized for COVID-19 or requiring oxygen therapy due to SARS-CoV-2 infection.
On March 5, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) decided that the drug from Eli Lilly can be used in the treatment of COVID-19 (as presented above). It is worth mentioning that earlier this preparation was approved for use in France. A few weeks ago, the French Minister of Health, Oliveir Veran, admitted that Eli Lilly’s preparation brings “new hope … that strengthens the arsenal of anticovid drugs”.
Meanwhile, some French specialists criticized the decision to allow the treatment with Eli Lilly because of the lack of sufficient evidence to prove its full effectiveness. Mathieu Molimard, professor of pharmacology at the university hospital in Bordeaux, emphasized that the use of this drug increases the risk of mutating the virus.
On the other hand, experts in monoclonal antibody therapy from the French agency for new infectious diseases ANRS / MIE – Brigitte Autran and Xavier de Lamballerie said in an interview with AFP that the choice of treatment with “cocktails (…) of monoclonal antibodies, rather than a single preparation based on antibodies »Is currently the preferred method of treating COVID-19, based on the positive experiences of such therapy in AIDS.
Eli Lilly’s scientific director himself, Daniel Skovronsky, admitted that the company could produce one million doses of the drug based on monoclonal antibody therapy in the coming months. He also announced that the company is conducting talks to support COVID-19 treatment in countries around the world.
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