Doctors Deploy Antibody Drugs Against COVID-19 And Hope Effort's Worthwhile
The medicines from Eli Lilly and Regeneron are infused, a process that can take two hours or longer, including observation for side effects. Staffing is as big an issue as the supply of the drugs.
More than 2,400 hospitals and related facilities have received their first doses of new drugs that are designed to keep mild to moderately ill COVID-19 patients out of the hospital. But it's not clear how much the drugs will help these patients – and whether the medicines will reduce the demand for hospital beds.
The Food and Drug Administration has granted emergency authorization to two monoclonal antibody formulations – bamlanivimab, produced by Eli Lilly, and a two-antibody combination developed by Regeneron.
These drugs are supposed to prevent the coronavirus from invading cells.
