Regarding the vaccines which are being approved. We don’t know which ones will be approved, whether we will be able to administer them and the groups to which we can administer them. So, it is a little too early for us to begin making a list of prospective vaccinees. It is encouraging that there is interest because many people will have to take them for us to be able to disrupt the transmission of this highly contagious virus.
As I mentioned before, I am frequently asked if I get it what can I take to prevent it from getting worse? Before there wasn’t anything. Now there is. There is a monoclonal antibody approved for the treatment if mild to moderate Covid-19 in non hospitalized patients. It’s called bamlaminivab and it’s a monoclonal antibody against the virus’s spike protein that we have seen in all the illustrations . It is given by infusion to people who are at high risk of developing severe disease. Here is a summary from Physician’s First Watch:
Monoclonal antibody treatment authorized: The FDA has issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) for a monoclonal antibody treatment for mild-to-moderate COVID-19. Bamlanivimab is authorized for patients who test positive for SARS-CoV-2, are aged 12 years or older, weigh at least 40 kg, and are at increased risk for progression to severe COVID-19 or hospitalization. Those at increased risk include adults 65 and older and patients with certain medical comorbidities. The treatment should be given as soon as possible and within 10 days of symptom onset, the manufacturer says, and it is not authorized for hospitalized patients or those who require oxygen therapy. The EUA is based in part on a secondary outcome from a randomized, placebo-controlled, phase 2 trial of bamlanivimab: In an interim analysis, the 28-day incidence of hospitalization or emergency department visit among those at high risk for disease progression was roughly 3% in bamlanivimab recipients versus 10% in placebo recipients. The manufacturer says it expects to produce up to one million doses by the end of the year, with increased production in early 2021.
Here are the specifications on it:
https://www.phe.gov/emergency/events/COVID19/investigation-MCM/Bamlanivimab/Pages/default.aspx
Here is the fact sheet for physicians:
https://www.fda.gov/media/143603/download This is 23 pages. The fact sheet for billing for it is 150 pages:
https://www.cms.gov/files/document/03092020-covid-19-faqs-508.pdf
Bottom line: Only 50,000 doses of it have been produced thus far which is the amount that would be needed to treat half today’s new cases. This will be given to only the most high risk patients. It is not something that your doctor is going to have access to or be able to administer in their office in the very near future.
