REGN-COV2 is “a combination of two monoclonal antibodies (REGN10933 and REGN10987) and was designed specifically to block infectivity of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19,” according to a statement released from Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. on Sept. 29. The two antibodies essentially bind to the coronavirus’ spike protein, which inhibits it from mutating. And for more on the treatments doctors administered to the president, check out The Harrowing Side Effects of Trump’s COVID Treatment.ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb While clinical trials in humans are still ongoing, preliminary results indicate that the treatment reduced “viral load and shortened symptomatic disease in patients” who did not already have COVID-19 antibodies, according to an article in the journal Science. In addition, trials have not yielded any evidence of serious health risks regardless of the dosage level. The president was given eight milligrams, which is considered to be a high dose. According to the same statement issued from Regeneron, there are ongoing “studies of REGN-COV2 for the treatment of hospitalized patients, and for prevention of infection in people who have been exposed to COVID-19 patients,” but no evidence of the drug’s efficacy at preventing COVID infection currently exists. And for another recent development regarding the coronavirus, This Is the Connection Between Pink Eye and COVID-19. According to reporting from The New York Times, Regeneron submitted the antibody cocktail for emergency approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Oct. 7. The move came shortly after the president praised the drugmaker’s experimental cocktail as an alleged cure for COVID-19. However, medical experts agree that there is no evidence to indicate that the product is solely responsible for Trump’s self-claimed recovery. “There is zero evidence that he is ‘cured,’ and even if he’s getting better, there is nothing to prove it was (or wasn’t) the Regeneron treatment,” Megan Ranney, MD, an associate professor of emergency medicine and public health at Brown University, told The New Republic. If approved, the drugmaker stated that the treatment would initially be available on a limited basis, with only enough doses for about 50,000 patients. And for more up-to-date information delivered straight to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter.
