This is what Trump has been given as an experimental drug aimed at preventing serious illness from Covid-19

THE EXPERIMENTAL ANTIBODY given to the President of the United States, Donald Trump, has been hailed as one of the most promising approaches to preventing serious illness from a Covid-19 infection.

Its manufacturer, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, said the company agreed to supply a single dose, administered intravenously, to Trump at the request of his doctor under “compassionate use” provisions.

This is when an experimental drug is provided in an emergency on a case-by-case basis while studies continue.

The new drug is in an advanced stage of testing and its safety and effectiveness are not yet known, and no treatment that can prevent serious illness after a coronavirus infection has yet been proven.

Trump was given the experimental drug at the White House yesterday before he was taken to the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

Several doctors treating Covid-19, including Dr. David Boulware of the University of Minnesota, had speculated that doctors might use the antibody drug, given that this approach has worked against other diseases in the past.

“They’re not going to just sit around and watch if he gets sick,” he said.

Antibodies are proteins that the body makes when an infection occurs, and vaccines trick the body into thinking there is an infection by making these antibodies.

But they can take weeks to form after a natural infection or a vaccine.

The drugs aim to provide that protection right away, providing concentrated versions of one or two antibodies that worked best against coronavirus in laboratory and animal tests.

Regeneron’s drug contains two antibodies to improve the chances that it will work, and the company previously developed a successful Ebola treatment from a combination of antibodies.

Earlier this week, Regeneron said that partial results of some 275 Covid-19 patients who were not sick enough to need hospital treatment suggested it could reduce the duration of symptoms.

However, the study has not been completed, the results were only announced in a company press release and have not been published or reviewed by other scientists.

Trump’s physician, Dr. Sean Conley, said late Friday that the president had also received the antiviral drug remdesivir at the military hospital.

The Gilead Sciences drug has been shown to help some Covid-19 patients recover faster.

Earlier, Dr. Conley said that Trump was also taking zinc, vitamin D, an antacid called famotidine, melatonin, and aspirin.

None of them have proven to be effective against Covid-19.

Trump is apparently not receiving hydroxychloroquine, a drug that he promoted widely and that has been shown in many studies to be ineffective in preventing or treating Covid-19.