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Monoclonal antibodies are targeted toward countering a specific antigen, which is nothing but a foreign element that the immune system recognizes as a threat.
Image representation. AP
A hospital in Delhi reported that two patients administered monoclonal antibodies showed remarkable recovery from the onset of COVID-19 symptoms and were discharged within a few hours following the start of treatment. Here’s how monoclonal antibodies work and why all eyes are on this therapy.
Monoclonal antibodies made news as a treatment for COVID-19 when given to former U.S. President Donald Trump last year after he tested positive for the disease on the track of the U.S. election campaign. Described at the time as an experimental antibody cocktail “reported by the New York Times is one of the most promising candidates”. Preliminary results, the New York Times said, suggested they could reduce virus levels in the body and possibly shorten hospital stays when given early in the course of the infection.
When the president of the United States received the drug, it was an experimental therapy
The former President of the United States had a low-grade fever, nasal congestion and cough during his illness. Trump is considered at high risk for COVID-19 because of his age and weight. He spent several days in the hospital and was reported to need additional oxygen at least twice. In addition to the antibody cocktail, Trump was given the antiviral drug remdesivir, and the steroid dexamethasone. He reported in a little over a week that he had recovered and was not at risk for spreading the infection.
The former President of the United States had a low-grade fever, nasal congestion and cough during his illness. Trump is considered at high risk for COVID-19 because of his age and weight. He spent several days in the hospital and was reported to need additional oxygen at least twice. In addition to the antibody cocktail, Trump was given the antiviral drug remdesivir, and the steroid dexamethasone. He reported in a little over a week that he had recovered and was not at risk for spreading the infection.
When Trump was on COVID-19, monoclonal antibodies had not yet received U.S. approval for COVID-19 patients, but Regeneron, whose drug was given to the former U.S. president, nodded in November of last year.
What are the available monoclonal antibody therapies in India?
The same drug Regeneron got emergency approval in India from the Central Drugs Standards Control Organization (CDSCO) in early May. The cocktail consisting of Casirivimab and Imdevimab has been cleared for use in mild to moderate cases of COVID-19 in high-risk patients. It was launched in India in partnership with Cipla and costs Rs 59,750 for each patient dose of 1200mg (600 mg of Casirivimab and 600 mg of Imdevimab).
Another drug, made by U.S. drug maker Eli Lilly, too, has been cleared for use in India.
But monoclonal antibody therapies are not recommended for severe cases of COVID-19 where the patient has been hospitalized and on oxygen support.
So, what are monoclonal antibodies?
When our body is exposed to a pathogen, which is a virus or bacteria that can cause disease, our immune system makes antibodies to counteract it. As the name implies, monoclonal antibodies are clones of antibodies created in a lab. They are targeted towards resistance to a specific antigen, which is nothing but a foreign element that the immune system recognizes as a threat, which motivates the production of antibodies.
The monoclonal antibodies used in the drug were artificially created in the laboratory and designed to bind to the spike protein of the novel coronavirus, which allows the virus to attach to human cells.
While their initial use for COVID-19 patients was on an experimental basis, antibody treatments were not new and were used in Ebola and HIV patients.
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