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US approves Regeneron antibody treatment given to Trump
Washington (AFP) - A Covid-19 antibody therapy used to treat President Donald Trump was approved by the US drug regulator on Saturday for people who aren't yet hospitalized by the disease but are at high risk.The green light for drugmaker Regeneron came after REGEN-COV2, a combination of two lab-made antibodies, was shown to reduce Covid-19-related hospitalizations or emergency room visits in patients with underlying conditions."Authorizing these monoclonal antibody therapies may help outpatients avoid hospitalization and alleviate the burden on our health care system," said Stephen Hahn, comm...
AFP
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US grants emergency approval to Lilly Covid-19 antibodies
Washington (AFP) - The US Food and Drug Administration on Monday granted emergency approval to a synthetic antibody treatment against Covid-19 developed by Eli Lilly, after the drug was shown to reduce the risk of hospitalization and emergency room visits.Bamlanivimab at a dose of 700 milligrams was authorized for the treatment of mild-to-moderate Covid-19 in adults and children aged 12 years and older who are at high risk for progressing to the severe form of the disease.It is the first major drug to be approved that was designed specifically against the new coronavirus."As illustrated by tod...
AFP
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US gives full approval to antiviral remdesivir to treat Covid-19
Washington (AFP) - The US Food and Drug Administration on Thursday granted full approval to the antiviral drug remdesivir as a treatment for patients hospitalized with Covid-19, after conditional authorization was given in May.Gilead said the drug, sold under the brand name Veklury, was the only specific treatment for Covid-19 approved so far under a more rigorous process.However, other treatments have received authorization for emergency use, though that approval can be revoked once the public health emergency sparked by the coronavirus pandemic is over.Other medications, like the steroid dex...
AFP
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Trump-touted Covid-19 antibody treatments: what we know
Washington (AFP) - Two US companies have applied for emergency approval for their lab-produced antibodies against Covid-19 -- and President Donald Trump has signaled his strong backing based on the fact he was treated with one of them.Here's what we know about the treatments and why the perception of political interference at the Food and Drug Administration may have eroded public trust.What are they? - The therapies developed by Regeneron and Eli Lilly are called "monoclonal antibodies," a relatively new class of drugs that are best known for treating certain types of cancer and autoimmune di...
AFP
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What you need to know about Regeneron's Covid-19 treatment
Washington (AFP) - President Donald Trump was treated Friday for Covid-19 with a high-dose of the experimental antibody drug developed by the US biotech firm Regeneron. What is it, how far along are its clinical trials, and why do some experts disagree with using a medicine before it's been approved?Here's what you need to know.What is the treatment?Regeneron's treatment, called REGN-COV2, is a combination or "cocktail" of two antibodies: infection-fighting proteins that were developed to bind to the part of the new coronavirus that it uses to invade human cells.The antibodies attach themselve...
AFP
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Regeneron says early trials promising for Covid-19 treatment
Washington (AFP) - The US biotech firm Regeneron said Tuesday its antibody cocktail against the coronavirus reduced viral load and recovery time in non-hospitalized Covid-19 patients during an early-stage clinical trial."We are highly encouraged by the robust and consistent nature of these initial data," said George Yancopoulos, the company's president and chief scientific officer."We have begun discussing our findings with regulatory authorities while continuing our ongoing trial," he added.The results related to the first 275 patients recruited into Regeneron's Phase 1 trial. The patients we...
AFP