In a new study from the University of Virginia, researchers found an antibody cocktail could offer long-lasting protection from COVID-19.
The cocktail, manufactured by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, reduced the risk of COVID-19 infection by more than 80% for more than eight months, the company announced in a news release.
The 81.6% risk reduction seen in the second to eighth months after administration continues the robust, 81.4% risk reduction seen in the first month.
The team says the drug could be of particular benefit for immunocompromised people who do not develop a strong response to vaccination.
In the study, the team looked at the results from 1,683 people who were not infected with COVID-19 and did not have antibodies to the virus.
Among trial participants who received the cocktail, none was hospitalized for COVID-19 during the following eight months.
Only seven were infected with SARS-CoV-2, compared with 38 who received a placebo. Thus, the antibody cocktail provided more than 80% protection for two to eight months.
The federal Food and Drug Administration first authorized Regeneron’s cocktail in November 2020 to treat patients with mild to moderate COVID-19.
The federal regulators then expanded the authorization in July to allow its use as a preventative treatment in people exposed to COVID-19 and those at high risk of exposure, such as nursing home residents.
Regeneron’s antibody cocktail is not a vaccine and is not a replacement for a vaccine.
However, it may greatly benefit people who do not develop a strong immune response to vaccination, such as patients receiving treatment for cancer and other people who are immunocompromised.
For such patients, getting a periodic dose of the cocktail—annually, perhaps—could provide the immune protection that their own bodies can’t.
If you care about COVID, please read studies about some FDA-approved drugs could be used to treat COVID-19 and findings of signs of ‘long COVID’ can be found in eyes.
For more information about COVID and your health, please see recent studies about these cognitive problems linked to COVID-19 infection and results showing that ‘version 2.0’ of COVID-19 vaccine quickly boosts immune system.
One researcher of the study is Dr. William A. Petri Jr.
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