On Tuesday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced that he was tested positive for covid-19. Followed by which his office share the news that he was earlier treated with monoclonal antibodies.
Although Antibody Treatment Works Against The Coronavirus, It Is Not The Way Out Of The Covid-19 Pandemic.
Although the treatment is not yet authorized by the Food and Drug Administration in the US for treating covid-19, it has shown some effectiveness against the symptoms.
Knowing more about the monoclonal antibody treatment:
Monoclonal antibody treatment does not work for everyone. It is effective only for individuals who are above 12 years of age and not severely ill or hospitalized.
These monoclonal antibodies are mainly manufactured by Regeneron and GlaxoSmithKline. The therapy of Regeneron therapy can also be used for people who did not test positive for the virus but were exposed to it.
The therapy is not a replacement for the vaccine and the protection usually doesn’t last long.
Having trust in the therapy:
A number of conservatives like President Donald Trump, Rudy Giuliani, and Chris Christies have expressed their faith in the Regeneron therapy of Abbott.
Florida Gov. Ros Desantis has banned the usage of vaccine passports and mask mandate, and like Abbott is promoting the therapy at multiple events.
A rapid response team has been raised by the authorities in Florida to administer the treatment to the individuals infected with the virus.
Scope of the therapy:
According to DeSantis, monoclonal antibody therapy reduces the chances of being hospitalized with severe illness in case of being exposed to the virus.
He further implies that reducing the chances of hospitalization is the top priority and if people know they will recover without being admitted to the hospital then it is a good thing.
Although the therapy has proven to be helpful in reducing severe illness, scientists are not keen on pushing this mode of treatment as an alternative to vaccination.
According to Dr. Leana Wen, preventive measures like masking and vaccination can help in stopping the virus and hence should be implemented as the first priority than the monoclonal antibody therapy.
Dr. Wen is a visiting professor of health policy and management at George Washington University’s Milken Institute School of Public Health and an emergency physician.
Wen further implies that focussing on treatment rather than means of preventing the virus is backward and emphasis should be laid on the steps that prevent the virus in the first place.
Can the monoclonal antibody therapy prevent covid-19:
Monoclonal antibodies are lab-manufactured proteins that imitate the activity of the immune system to fight off infections like covid-19.
As a patient is infected, the traditional antibody system of the body can take time to produce a reaction, during such times, the monoclonal antibody therapies can speed up the immune response of the body.
Regeneron’s monoclonal antibody therapy is further authorized to use as a preventive measure in case the individual had exposure to the virus.
Such measure known as post-exposure prophylaxis can be given to a person who has come in contact with an infected person, or to someone who is at high risk of infection like the workers at hospitals and nursing homes.
Monoclonal antibodies are safely administered to individuals who are not vaccinated or to people who cannot build up an immune response like organ transplant patients with compromised immunity.
Who can opt for the treatment:
Monoclonal antibody therapy is a good treatment option for adults infected with covid-19 but not yet hospitalized and for children above the age of 12 years having a high chance of developing severe illness.
Monoclonal antibodies should be used at the early stages of disease onset to prevent escalation in the symptoms, and ideally within 10 days of the emergence of symptoms.
