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ROCHESTER, Minnesota – A Mayo Clinic study produced more evidence that early outpatient monoclonal antibody (mAB) infusion can significantly reduce the risk of hospitalization for high-risk patients after a diagnosis of COVID-19.
The study, published Monday in The Lancet EClinical Medicine, compared the results of about 700 patients who received the treatments with those of 700 control patients between December 2020 and April 2021. It used a combination of the biologics casirivimab and imdevimab, treatments adapted to the variants. made by drug maker Regeneron.
The study evaluated patients two, three and four weeks after outpatient treatment. He found that 3% to almost 5% of the group that did not receive the drug ended up being hospitalized, but just over 1% of the treated group needed hospital care.
As a result, according to the study, monoclonal antibodies reduced hospital admissions by a 60-70% relative risk reduction, with the ICU admission and mortality rate being low among those hospitalized.
“It’s exciting,” says Dr Raymund Razonable, Mayo infectious disease specialist and study co-author, “because we provide the most important data on real-world practice on antibody use. monoclonal drugs for the prevention of severe COVID-19 and hospitalization of patients. with COVID-19.
“In the beginning, when the FDA issued the EUA (Emergency Use Authorization), there was not a lot of data to support the use,” he added. “From what we are seeing, the use of this monoclonal antibody product prevents hospitalization, it prevents admission to intensive care, and it prevents death in patients with COVID-19. “
The study is an improvement on the group’s previous finding, a Journal of Clinical Investigation published earlier this year. He reported that Eli Lilly’s mAB, known as bamlanivimab, reduced hospitalizations in high-risk patients by 40 to 60 percent.
Due to resistance to treatment caused by a viral mutation, the FDA in April revoked the emergency authorization of bamlanivimab when administered alone.
Monoclonal antibodies are laboratory-created versions of antibodies created by the immune system.
Although the visibility of mAB treatments has taken a step back in public attention to vaccines, they are one of the few interventions known to reduce the severity of COVID-19.
They are recommended at the start of an infection for people at high risk of poor results from COVID-19.
Recently, infusions saw their profile rise in Florida, where the governor launched 17 free treatment sites in response to the explosion of cases in the state.
They are available in some medical centers as experimental treatments, given on an outpatient basis as a single infusion at the onset of a COVID-19 infection, with the aim of reducing the risk of hospitalization.
“It must be a patient who is newly symptomatic, so it must be administered early,” Razonable said.
“If patients have symptoms, they should get tested as soon as possible. If they fall into high risk categories as detailed by the FDA – basically high blood pressure, immunosuppression, kidney disease, heart disease, lung disease – any of them or if they are over 65 years of age, they are then eligible for mAB infusion. “
“It’s about 20 minutes to infuse, an hour for observation and that’s it… the medicine is free but the infusion is covered by insurance. For those who don’t have insurance, or who are underinsured, we give it to them at no cost.
Razonable says the treatments are used for breakthrough cases and the delta variant as well.
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