US President Joe Biden's top medical adviser Dr Anthony Fauci on Thursday recommended a new three-pronged strategy for doctors to treat Covid-19 patients more effectively.
In a White House press briefing, Dr Anthony Fauci suggested a 'Selected Therapeutics' strategy comprising three major components : one, to target the virus itself. The other was to moderate an aberrant inflammatory response, moderating the host. And the other adjunctive therapies, such as anticoagulants.
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He said that monoclonal antibodies, two of which — the Regeneron combination and Eli Lilly combination — have already been approved for Emergency Use Authorization (EUA).
He cited a study in which a randomized placebo-controlled phase three trial of 600 non-hospitalized patients with mild to moderate COVID-19 in which a single 500 milligram dose of the monoclonal antibody, sotrovimab — again, by GSK and Vir — reduced the risk of hospitalization or death by 85 percent, compared with the placebo.
"It is well-tolerated and there are no safety signals identified. And, importantly, in the test tube, this antibody retains activity against multiple variants. So, what we really have now are three options within the arena of monoclonal antibodies — something that's important for physicians to know that there is an important option for treating people early to prevent them from going to the hospital," Fauci explained.
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"This has been granted an EUA, so it's available for use, and we encourage physicians to at least consider this possibility as part of your therapeutic armamentarium," Fauci said.
