The CEO of New York-based Regeneron Pharmaceuticals said Monday that the company’s antiviral cocktail can provide protect Responding to COVID-19 is similar to vaccination, but it is more friendly to people with compromised immune systems.
In an interview with CNBC, Dr. Leonard Schleifer explained that Regeneron’s single-dose antibody cocktail data showed that it reduced the risk of COVID-19 infection by nearly 92% in any period of two to eight months. Schleifer believes that this cocktail can treat moderate COVID symptoms while reducing the chance of hospitalization for high-risk patients.
this Food and Drug Administration In August, the existing Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) designation of Regeneron was modified for its REGEN-COV treatment, but it made it clear that receiving cocktails is not a substitute for vaccination. Schleifer has no objection to this, but touts the effectiveness of his company’s products as a powerful treatment for people infected with the virus.
“If you want to protect people at the population level, vaccines are the best way-they are cheap and you can produce billions of doses,” Schleifer said. “But our current data shows that antibodies are enough key players.”
“You may not need cellular immunity. It may add something, but the antibodies are enough to protect you from COVID-19 based on this data.”
Regeneron’s COVID-19 cocktail uses monoclonal antibodies to target the spike protein in COVID-19 to prevent the virus from penetrating other cells. According to the FDA, these antibodies “mimic the immune system’s ability to fight off harmful pathogens” and prove to be particularly useful for those at high risk of immunocompromised or exposed to COVID-19.
Regeneron first obtained the EUA for its COVID-19 cocktail from the FDA in November last year, but when it was used as an experimental treatment for the former president, it first attracted the attention of the public Donald Trump After he contracted the virus last year.
According to a letter from White House doctor Sean Conley, Trump received a single dose of Regeneron’s antibody cocktail
Photo: AFP/Jim Watson
However, Schleifer made it clear that he believes that Renergon cannot currently produce enough antibodies at an affordable price to use them as widely as vaccines, but suggests that they can be provided as an alternative.
In recent weeks, other treatments for COVID-19 have attracted attention.
On Friday, Pfizer released data showing that its Antiviral pills After combining treatment with HIV drugs to prolong immunity, treatment for COVID-19 reduced the risk of hospitalization for high-risk adults by nearly 89%. Merck Data on the antiviral pills they maintain were also released in October, which can reduce the death and hospitalization rate of patients battling mild or moderate COVID-19 cases by 50%.
