A synthetic antibody cocktail appears to decrease deaths among severe COVID-19 patients who fail to mount a strong immune response, suggests a new clinical trial. 

The treatment has been developed by Regeneron and has been previously used to treat patients in the early stages of the disease only. The Recovery trial in Britain noted that the treatment was effective in some patients with more acute cases. Termed REGN-COV2, the treatment appears to reduce the risk of death among hospitalized patients with severe COVID-19 who do not mount a natural antibody response, stated researchers.

Investigators assessed 9,800 patients hospitalized from September to May. Some of these patients were randomly assigned to receive antibody treatment along with standard care. One-third of them had not developed antibodies against coronavirus at the start of treatment. Among these, the treatment decreased the odds of death by one-fifth. Around 30% of non-treated patients died after a 28-day period compared to 24% of patients who received the treatment.

Although the findings seem encouraging, scientists who were not part of the study stressed on the relatively small number of lives saved and the affordability of the therapy… (NDTV – AFP, June 16, 2021)