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The Hungarian government and the American pharmaceutical company Lilly have signed an agreement to treat thousands of Hungarian patients infected with COVID-19 with bamlanivimab antibody therapy.
The National Institute of Pharmacy and Nutrition (OGYÉI) has authorized the emergency use of bamlanivimab in Hungary for the treatment of patients with mild to moderate COVID in adults with a positive viral test and adolescents aged 12 years and over weighing 40 kg or more. . There is a high risk that COVID-19 will enter a severe stage, the Ministry of Human Resources told the editorial committee of the Index.
Antibody therapy with bamlanivimab can significantly reduce the complications of coronavirus disease, thus avoiding in many cases hospitalization of the patient, which, in addition to accelerating the recovery of patients, can alleviate the burden for doctors, nurses and the entire hospital system.
Bamlanivimab is the first monoclonal antibody therapy officially approved for emergency use in the United States and later in Canada.
The drug was developed by Lilly from a blood sample taken from one of the first American patients to recover.
Bamlanivimab infusion will take place at designated hospital facilities and patients will receive free treatment from the state.
The authorized dose is a single 700 mg intravenous infusion, administered as soon as possible after a positive virus test and within 10 days of the onset of symptoms. This single dose represents the complete treatment of the patient. The drug blocks the binding and entry of viruses into human cells.
OGYÉI, just a month after the US approval, became the first country in Europe to authorize the emergency use and temporary procurement of bamlanivimab in Hungary on December 12, 2020, so that Hungarian patients can receive antibody therapy in the second half of January 2021. According to the agreement, thousands of doses of ampoules will arrive in Hungary in the first quarter of 2021. The purchase of additional quantities will depend on the situation of the pandemic in Hungary and the capacity production of Lilly.
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