New antibody therapy reduces risk of death in critically ill coronavirus patients

As the vaccination campaign progresses around the world and different countries begin to lift restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic, it was known a new antibody treatment which reduces the risk of death for patients with severe covid.

It is a combination of antibodies developed by the pharmaceutical company Regeneron. The treatment has had positive results in a large clinical trial in the UK.

The test also found that this therapy decreases both the chances that these critically ill coronavirus patients will need a ventilator, as well as the length of their hospital stay.

The test, carried out between September 18, 2020 and May 22, with 9,785 people hospitalized with the virus, found that with the combination of (the antibodies called casirivimab and imdevimab, says) REGEN-COV, in addition to usual medical care, the risk of death was reduced by one-fifth in patients admitted with coronavirus who did not had not generated antibodies against the virus. viruses themselves.

Researchers have also observed that this drug it had no effect on those who generated antibodies.

To date, these types of treatments have only worked in the mildest cases of the disease.

“What we found in these HIV negative patients, who did not generate antibodies on their own, was that if they were given this combination of two antibodies by intravenous infusion, the mortality was reduced by a fifth. “, noted Martin Landray, professor of medicine. Oxford University Medicine and Epidemiology and investigator in this trial.

He added that “instead of 30% of deaths, 24% died. In other words, for every 100 patients who received the intravenous infusion, we would save six lives. “

“We take a bunch of people, they are sick, they are hospitalized, they have covid-19, they don’t generate antibodies on their own; it will reduce their chances of dying, shorten their hospital stay and will reduce the chances of needing a ventilator, “he explained.

Professor Stephen Powis, national medical director for public health body NHS England commented that “these encouraging results” suggest “a new treatment option to help save the lives of some hospital patients with covid-19”.

Source EFE

AFG