A breakthrough coronavirus drug that was just approved is hardly used

[Chris Smith]

• A breakthrough coronavirus drug that was just approved for emergency use is hardly being administered to COVID-19 patients.
• Only 5% to 20% of the weekly supply is being used to treat patients infected with the novel coronavirus.
• The drugs have some limitations that might hinder widespread use. Chief among them is the recommendation to use the drug early after a positive COVID-19 diagnosis.

There’s still no COVID-19 cure that can be used to reduce complications and deaths significantly, and vaccines won’t help anyone who just contracted the illness. But researchers have already found various treatments that can improve the prognosis and reduce deaths. Some are tried and tested meds like dexamethasone, which can temper the immune response. Others are brand new drugs that were developed specifically for the new virus. Eli Lilly and Regeneron have developed monoclonal antibodies that are effective in COVID-19 for certain patients. Regeneron got some publicity in late September when Donald Trump received the experimental drug during his bout with COVID-19. Both drugs received emergency use approval, with the companies announcing that hundreds of thousands of units will be available to COVID-19 patients this year. It turns out that only between 5% and 20% of the available doses are used, a percentage that’s much lower than expected.

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A breakthrough coronavirus drug that was just approved is hardly used originally appeared on BGR.com on Wed, 16 Dec 2020 at 07:55:45 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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