Bengaluru hospitals to start ‘antibody cocktail’ therapy

Sakra World Hospital is also in the process of procuring the drugs and they expect its arrival in a few days.
For representational purposes (Express Illustrations)
For representational purposes (Express Illustrations)

BENGALURU: With the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) recently approving the use of monoclonal antibody therapy (antibody cocktail) for Covid-19 patients who are in home isolation and have mild to moderate symptoms, hospitals in Bengaluru are gearing up for its launch here. The therapy has so far been administered to one patient in Delhi.

Manipal Hospitals will start the therapy, which is a combination of two drugs --- Casirivimab and Imdevimab (powder reconstituted into solution) — 10 ml of each drug will be premixed and will be available in vial form. Also, the procedure does not require the patient to get admitted.

“The therapy, which is proven to be more effective than HCQ, Favipiravir and Ivermectin, produces resistance against SARS-COV-2 by acting against the spike protein and not allowing the virus to enter the lungs. It also prevents mutated virus from latching on to the body. We are developing a protocol so that it is not misused,” said Dr Satyanarayana Mysore, HoD and Consultant, Pulmonology, Lung Transplant Physician, Manipal Hospitals.

Sakra World Hospital is also in the process of procuring the drugs and they expect its arrival in a few days.“The therapy was granted emergency use authorisation in India a couple of days ago. Named REGN-COV2, the drug is projected to reduce hospitalisation by 70%. Case selection is important and judicious use should be assured,” said Dr Sachin Kumar, senior consultant, Pulmonology and Critical Care Medicine, Sakra World Hospital

“The drug can be used in very specific cases, especially in people at a high risk of progression to severe disease. This could be a potential game changer...but is expensive. Other combinations exist, but at present, are unavailable in India,” said Dr Prakash Doraiswamy, senior consultant, Critical Care and Anaesthesiology, Aster CMI Hospital.

“As long as we find the right patients, there is no reason why we cannot use it. However, each dose costs Rs 1.2 lakh. There is no data to support that it can be used in patients who are critical and on ventilators. There have been side effects such as nausea and a severe allergic reaction called Anaphylaxis during treatment,” Dr Doraiswamy added. 

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