British researchers have revealed that they have discovered a treatment that saves the lives of patients with COVID-19, nearly a year after the effectiveness of a cheap steroid drug was found to provide protection against the risk of death resulting from the virus. This new treatment, which is expensive, is based on the method of injecting antibodies intravenously to neutralize the virus, rather than suppressing the body’s response to it.
Results from a trial known as "REMAP-CAP" indicate that the new treatment may help one in three individuals suffering from severe COVID-19 who are receiving hospital care. Patients whose bodies are unable to produce any antibodies to combat the virus must receive the treatment, which costs between £1,000 and £2,000.
The report included testimonies from beneficiaries of the new treatment, describing it as a "pioneering treatment." It explained that the monoclonal antibody treatment, produced by Regeneron, immobilizes the virus and prevents it from infecting cells and multiplying. The trial, which included about 10,000 patients in a British hospital, concluded that the treatment significantly reduced the risk of death, the length of hospital stay (an average of four days), and the likelihood of requiring mechanical ventilation.
Martin Landray, a lead researcher involved in the trial, stated, "Administering this combination of two antibodies intravenously actually reduces the likelihood of death by one-fifth." He added, "What we have found so far is that we can use an antiviral treatment, in this case, those antibodies, with patients who face a dying likelihood without treatment, at one in three cases, and we can reduce this risk for them."
Researchers administered the treatment to patients with severe COVID-19, in addition to the anti-inflammatory drug dexamethasone, which belongs to the steroid family, and reduces the risk of death by up to one-third. Sir Peter Horby, the chief researcher and one of those commenting on this trial, noted that there is considerable skepticism as to whether antibody treatments represent the right approach, given some other studies suggesting they may be unhelpful.
He pointed out that using plasma from recovered patients—containing antibodies that should recognize and combat the virus—has not been proven effective as a treatment for COVID-19. However, the antibody treatment used in the REMAP-CAP trial contains high doses of two specific antibodies, manufactured in the laboratory, which are effective at binding to the virus. Sir Peter concluded, "It is wonderful to know that even in cases of advanced COVID-19, targeting the virus can reduce the mortality of patients who have failed to produce a self-antibody response."
