The world sees the death toll from Covid-19 approaching 1500 dollars, the need for safe and effective treatments is more important than ever.While antiviral drugs offer promising results in helping to treat Covid-19, there are trap Around their overall efficacy, of course these cannot be used as preventive measures. Vaccines and antivirals are key in our toolbox, but it’s important that we don’t put all our eggs in one basket. The government should still promote these options (vaccine and antiviral drugs), while also supporting an approach that has always been used as treatment and prevention – monoclonal antibodies.
Monoclonal antibodies for Covid are typically natural molecules extracted from the body’s natural immune response to a specific target and then scaled up for wider use through modern manufacturing processes. Antiviral drugs, on the other hand, are man-made chemical molecules that target viruses and work by disrupting how the virus makes more copies. Comparing the differences between the two can determine how we respond to and deal with the inevitable future variants of Covid-19.
Treatment options
While both antibodies and antiviral drugs can be used as therapeutics, governments and doctors must push for the best viable options. In general, monoclonal antibodies have shown better overall efficacy than antiviral drugs in clinical trials, and have also shown a significantly higher safety profile in clinical trials. As we continue to see a cycle of new variants every three to six months, the faster we get rid of Covid, the more likely we are to prevent future variants. It’s important to treat the virus with drugs that can attack as many variants as possible, so once they’re approved by an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) or Food and Drug Administration (FDA), they’re no longer obsolete.
Monoclonal antibodies can specifically target the Covid-19 virus, while antiviral drugs can also target healthy cells because they are not designed to kill the virus directly. When dealing with future variants, monoclonal antibodies could serve as a better treatment because of their ability to specifically attack the base of the virus, which makes them very effective and safe. For each variant of interest, despite changes in the viral RNA, antiviral therapeutic options ensure efficient and consistent treatment, reducing the risk of hospitalization and death.
Use of preventive medicine
Monoclonal antibodies are unique compared to antiviral drugs because they are effective as a preventive measure against Covid-19. Scientific findings surrounding the potential lower efficacy of antiviral drugs underscore the need for effective prevention in high-risk or immunosuppressed patients. It is estimated that there are 25 million such people in the United States alone. Given their high safety profile and longer duration, monoclonal antibodies have been shown to meet the need for safe, effective preventive measures. Likewise, it is the ability and basis of antibody therapy to directly target the virus that allows it to work efficiently with a safe and long-acting nature. It can be used as a preventive measure in much the same way as the seasonal flu vaccine.
As we have seen with Omicron, there is no guarantee that vaccines and treatments will work against all variants. As we produce new boosters to prevent the current variant, another variant emerges and may be more contagious than the last, bringing us back to where we started. Combining monoclonal antibodies with a vaccine could provide the highest level of protection and hopefully end the seemingly never-ending race to beat the latest variant.
The future of the epidemic
Over the past two years, we’ve seen the continued unpredictability of the Covid-19 virus and the consequences of not focusing on more “future-proof” treatments. While the world continues to build immunity through infections and vaccines, we know this approach is not foolproof. Despite having been infected in the past, patients may continue to contract the virus as new variants emerge and evade immunity. Despite vaccination, a large number of the population is immunocompromised and remains at risk of serious illness or death. There are also some patients who cannot be vaccinated under the medical guidance of doctors. Those who are also reluctant to receive vaccines also become hosts for new variants that can fester and mutate.
While the world may be fed up with Covid-19, the virus’ record shows that it has and still can disrupt our lives. Even with vaccines providing protection, governments will need to invest heavily in monoclonal antibodies in order to contain possible future mutations and protect our most vulnerable. Currently, monoclonal antibody therapies are often difficult to obtain due to limited supply and distribution logistics. Whether as a therapeutic or preventive treatment, monoclonal antibodies can help us control the virus, where we may see light at the end of the tunnel. If we want to get to the point where Covid-19 no longer disrupts everyday life, we need to fund and make monoclonal antibodies readily available to anyone who needs them.
Photo: santima.studio, Getty Images
