HYDERABAD: AIG Hospitals initiated a study on Thursday to find out if the cocktail of monoclonal antibodies - Casirivimab and Imdevimab - manufactured by the Swiss drugmaker Roche, would prove effective against the Coronavirus variant B.1.167, first found in India and popularly known as the ‘double mutant’ variant.
The hospital will recruit 100 patients, including those aged above 55 years, people with obesity or diabetic and those suffering from chronic kidney disorder and cardiovascular diseases, who are the most vulnerable to Covid-19, and see if the monoclonal antibodies save them from severe disease progression and hospitalisation.
Genomic sequencing of the virus from infected patients will also be conducted. Speaking to the media on Thursday, AIG Hospitals Chairman Dr D Nageshwar Reddy said that while real-world evidence of the antibodies is yet to be established, clinical studies publ ished in peer-reviewed journals, including in the New England Journal of Medicine, have shown that the antibodies reduce hospitalisation or death by over 70 per cent and bring about drastic reduction in viral clearance.
Dr Reddy added that the antibodies will not prove effective among patients who are already hospitalised or are on high-flow oxygen or ventilator support and is also not recommended for pregnant women. As the usage of the cocktail has been allowed in India, Dr Reddy stressed that the timing of the dose plays a crucial role.
He said only one dose containing a combination of both the monoclonal antibodies was enough for a patient and it must be administered between 3-7 days of the infection being detected by an RT-PCR test. It is expected that within 3-4 days of the administration, the virus load drastically decreases and within seven days it is eliminated. However, this is based on the studies conducted in the USA.
The study being at AIG Hospitals would help provide information on how effective the antibodies are against the double mutant variant. Dr Reddy said that there was a possibility to explore the prophylactic usage of this combination. While AIG Hospitals has procured some doses of monoclonal antiobodies, Dr Reddy said that it would be administered only to people with appropriate indications.