Drug manufacturers are competing to develop a new generation of Covid-19 drugs to facilitate their administration to patients and stay ahead of virus mutations that could make some current drugs less effective.
Drugs, known as monoclonal antibodies, are laboratory-developed versions of antibodies that simulate the body’s natural immune response to viruses. They are considered one of the most promising for preventing infected patients from developing severe or fatal symptoms and keeping them out of the hospital. After taking Covid-19, President Trump was treated with one of the drugs and credited him with his speedy recovery. Doctors say the drugs will continue to be important treatments for the foreseeable future as vaccines become more available.
When the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized the first generation of drugs in November to treat patients who were not yet ill enough to be hospitalized, public health officials worried that there would not be enough. to turn around. But these concerns have given way to frustration with the fact that the drugs are not used due to problems in the administration of the drugs, which may require about an hour of preparation before the patient arrives, an infusion of one hour of monitoring to ensure that patients do not suffer from allergic reactions.
To reduce the logistical burden and help patients be treated sooner, researchers are working on new antibody drugs that can be administered with quick blows to the arm, similar to flu vaccines. They would allow patients to be treated quickly after Covid-19 was diagnosed, said Michel C. Nussenzweig, an immunologist and professor at Rockefeller University in New York.
“This changes everything so you can take this injection at CVS and do it in your doctor’s office,” said Dr. Nussenzweig, whose lab developed a combination of antibodies that recently began the first studies of safety of phase 1. “Intravenous administration is a headache. It’s just a heavy thing to do. “