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Donald Trump is being treated with an experimental antibody cocktail after he was diagnosed with COVID-19.
The President of the United States has received an intravenous dose of Regeneron’s polyclonal antibody cocktail.
Regeneron’s drug REGN-COV2 is part of a class of experimental COVID-19 drugs known as monoclonal antibodies – manufactured copies of human antibodies to the virus that are being studied for use in patients with early disease.
Antibodies are proteins made by the body’s immune system that stick to and neutralize an invading virus. Regeneron’s cocktail, which contains an antibody made by the company and a second isolate from humans who recovered from COVID-19, is designed so that its two antibodies bind to the coronavirus spike protein, limiting the ability to virus escape.
“[Trump’s doctors] they must be concerned enough about what they’re seeing that they decided to use an experimental drug, “said Dr. Edward Jones-Lopez, an infectious disease specialist at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.” Experimental drugs are risky in definition. “
Data so far is limited for COVID-19 antibodies, but Dr. Anthony Fauci, US chief of infectious diseases, is among those who say the technology is promising.
Trump has also been taking zinc, vitamin D, famotidine, melatonin, and a daily aspirin.
Famotidine is a heartburn medication that is often sold in the US under the brand name Pepcid. Although the drug has not been shown to work against COVID-19, researchers are studying it as a possible treatment.
Zinc and vitamin D are believed to boost the immune system. Melatonin is a hormone that helps regulate daily body rhythms.
Trump has said in the past that he takes a daily low-dose aspirin, which is recommended for some adults at increased risk for heart attack or stroke.
Reuters / Newshub
