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Donald Trump (74) tested positive for the corona virus last week. He was admitted to the hospital on Friday. 72 hours later, the President of the United States was again standing on the balcony of the White House and assured him that he was fine.
One of the drugs Trump received during this time was an experimental antibody drug called REGN-COV2, which is being developed by the American biotech company Regeneron.
“God’s blessing”
Trump was excited. It felt “great” in 24 hours. The president assures him that the “therapeutic agent” “cured” him. It was a “blessing from God” that he fell ill with Covid-19. This made him aware of the antibody treatment.
The details of the development of the antibody substance are now known. According to Regeneron, the drug was developed using a cell culture that originally came from abortion tissue, writes Technology Review.
Abortion in the Netherlands in the 1970s
Therefore, the fetal cells were used in laboratory tests to initially test the effectiveness of the antibodies. It was kidney tissue that came from an abortion in the Netherlands in the 1970s. Since then, these cells have been dividing in laboratories. Its specialist name is HEK 293T.
The company itself no longer considers the cells to be human, as they were acquired more than 40 years ago and have lived in the laboratory for so long. “The 293T cell lines currently available are not considered fetal tissue, and otherwise we have not used any fetal tissue,” says Regeneron spokeswoman Alexandra Bowie.
Trump supports anti-abortionists
It is not known whether Trump knew the origin of his “miracle cure.” His administration, however, is best known for its anti-abortion attitude.
For example, attempts have been made in the past to limit research on tissues from aborted fetuses. In 2019, the government of the national health authority cut state funds that would have benefited, among other things, HIV and cancer research. Trump is said to have personally campaigned on his behalf at the time, the New York Times reported.
In January 2020, the father of five attended the anti-abortion rally in Washington. During his appearance, Trump said: “Unborn children have never had a stronger advocate in the White House.” Each child is “a sacred and precious gift from God.” (man)
