Is Antibody Cocktail Offering The Right Mix?

Although the clinical outcomes, as well as clinical trials, have been very promising for patients treated with the antibody cocktail so far, the Delta plus variant is considered to be resistant to the monoclonal antibody (mAb) cocktail treatment.

- Prabhat Prakash

India continues to roll out vaccines for the prevention of COVID-19. While the vaccination drive continues, India has been considering alternative therapies for the treatment of COVID-19. On May 5, 2021, the Central Drugs Standards Control Organisation (CDSCO) provided emergency use authorization for the antibody cocktail (casirivimab and imdevimab) in India. Former US President, Donald Trump was administered the experimental Regeneron antibody treatment in October 2020, when he tested positive for COVID-19.

The antibody cocktail has been developed by US biotechnology company Regeneron, in association with Roche Pharma. The antibodies bind themselves to two different sites on the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, neutralizing the ability of the virus to infect human cells.

Cipla is marketing the drug manufactured by Roche Pharma in India. The drug is accessible through hospitals and COVID-19 treatment centers. It can in total potentially benefit 200,000 patients as each of the 100,000 packs that will be available in India offers treatment for two patients. Cipla is distributing the product by leveraging its strong distribution strengths across the country. The drug will be available through leading hospitals and COVID-19 treatment centres.

The cocktail is to be administered for the treatment of mild to moderate COVID-19 in adults and pediatric patients (12 years of age or older, weighing at least 40 kg) who are confirmed to be infected with SARS-COV-2 and who are at high risk of developing severe COVID-19 disease and do not require oxygen.