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The ADVANCE, February 3, 2021 /Page 3A
Infusion
continued from page 1A
lay testing and diagnosis.
The infusion Thomp
son received is the same
U.S. Food and Drug Ad
ministration-authorized
treatment that was given to
President Donald Trump
after he tested positive for
COVID-19 last October.
The president was given
REGN-COV2, one drug
in a family of monoclonal
antibodies (mABs). These
laboratory-made proteins
mimic the immune system’s
ability to fend off harmful
antigens, such as viruses,
the FDA explains on its
website.
Late last year, the FDA
authorized the emergency
use of two monoclonal an
tibody pharmaceuticals:
bamlanivimab, manufac
tured by Eli Lilly, and Re-
generon’s REGN-COV2
(casirivimab andimdeviab).
The drug which Thompson
received, bamlanivimab,
was authorized for use to
treat mild to moderate cases
of COVID in adults and
pediatric patients (12 years
of age or older weighing at
least 88 pounds) with direct
SARS-COV-2 viral testing
and who are at high risk
for progressing to severe
COVID-19. This includes
patients who are 65 years
of age or older or who have
certain chronic medical
conditions.
In an article published
in The Advance on January
13, local physician Geoff
Conner stressed the impor
tance of spreading aware
ness about the infusions.
“Right now, the monoclonal
antibody treatment is as im
portant as the vaccine, but
it isn’t getting the publicity
because everyone is focused
on the vaccine.” The vaccine
rollout has been dragging,
and projections are that
people will have to wait
weeks or months to receive
a dose.
For high-risk indi
viduals, time is of the es
sence. “If he or she con
tracts the virus and gets
a positive COVID test, then
their doctor can prescribe
the monocolonal antibody
treatment, and it may keep
them out of the hospital,
and it may save their life,”
Conner said. He is prescrib
ing the drug for his patients
who meet the criteria.
After President Trump
credited the monoclonal
antibody therapy for his
rapid recovery, drug mak
ers ramped up supplies,
but only a small amount
of the product has filtered
down to the general public.
Hundreds of thousands of
vials sit unused while high-
risk individuals who could
benefit from the drug—for
free—are missing a chance
to recover more quickly and
to avoid hospitalization. It
could even mean the dif
ference between living and
dying.
The U.S. Department
of Health reports on its
website that mAbs pharma
ceuticals are being allocated
from the federal level to
states, territories and fed
eral entities on a two-week
cycle. To date, federal of
ficials have allocated more
than 785,000 doses of the
two antibody treatments
authorized for emergency
use during the pandemic,
and more than 550,000
doses have been delivered
to sites across the nation.
The federal government has
contracted for nearly 2.5
million doses of the prod
ucts from drug makers Eli
Lilly and Co. and Regen-
eron Pharmaceuticals at a
cost of more than $4.4 bil
lion, writes JoNel Aleccia in
an online article published
by Kaiser Health News on
January 20.
But as of mid-January,
only about 30% of the
available doses have been
administrated to patients,
the federal Department of
Health and Human Ser
vices said. The FDA blamed
the snag on administration,
not availability of the prod
ucts. Up until last week,
there was no nationwide
system to inform the pub
lic about where they can
obtain the drugs which are
delivered through IV infu
sions, according to Aleccia.
Nationwide, nearly
4,000 sites offer the infusion
therapies. All states are now
required to list on a federal
locator map sites that have
received the monoclonal
antibody products; how
ever, a listing does not guar
antee availability to access.
Patients are required to con
fer with a primary caregiver
before contacting centers
for infusions. (Go to the fol
lowing web address for in
formation: https ://protect-
public.hhs.gov/ pages/thera
peuticsdistribution/#distri
bution-locations)
Some health systems
are refusing to offer the
monoclonal antibody ther
apies because of doubts
about the data used to au
thorize them. Early studies
indicate that Lilly’s therapy
reduced the need for hos
pitalization or emergency
treatment in outpatient
COVID cases by about
70% while Regeneron’s
product reduced this need
by 50%. But these studies
were small, and there is still
doubt about the therapy’s
effectiveness.
As more patients are
treated, however, there is
growing evidence that the
therapy is working. Ob
servations from experts at
Mayo Clinic in Rochester,
Minnesota, and others have
spurred federal officials to
push for wider use of an
tibody therapies; in fact,
HHS officials have part
nered with hospitals in three
states that have been hard
hit by COVID-California
Arizona, and Nevada—to
set up infusion centers that
are seeing scores of COVID
patients every day, Aleccia
says in her article.
The infusion takes
about an hour to admin
ister, but the total time al
located to patient care is
about three hours, includ
ing consultation prior to
the infusion and a one-hour
post-infusion period in
which a trained profession
al watches the patient for
adverse reactions to the in
fusion. There are strict rules
on where the infusion can
be administered: hospitals,
community based infusion
centers, clinical spaces like
urgent care facilities and
“hospitals without walls.”
Other protocol is required,
including adherence to
HIPPA regulations. Also,
since the patients receiving
the infusions have already
tested positive for COVID,
they cannot be placed in
areas adjacent to non-CO-
VID patients.
After receiving the in
fusion, Thompson was not
out of the woods. Time
would tell whether the in
fusion had been successful
in fighting oft the virus and
keeping her out of the hos
pital. She was prescribed
bed rest, which was not dif
ficult because she was too
ill to do anything else, she
said. Over time, her head
ache subsided, as well as the
other flu-like symptoms.
She entirely lost her senses
of smell and taste, and with
out an appetite, staying
nourished was a challenge.
But gradually, she regained
strength and an appetite.
Three weeks after the
onset of the virus, Thomp
son recovered sufficiently
to return to her job as a
paralegal at a Jesup law firm.
She still tires easily and has
to pace herself, but she has
fared better than some of
the others in her camping
group who tested positive
for the virus. Thompson’s
husband seemed to have
had a milder case of CO
VID-19, but did develop a
troublesome cough which
was diagnosed as bronchi
tis and was treated success
fully. Others who had gone
camping with the Thomp
sons that New Year’s week
end had varied outcomes.
Two of them developed
pneumonia but all of them
are now recovering.
Thompson is grateful
for the medical personnel
who, once they recognized
her as high risk, responded
promptly. “Before I was
tested for COVID, I had
never heard about the infu
sion. The nurse-practitioner
at the clinic where I was
tested recommended it
and I am very glad she did.”
Thompson hopes that as
more people become aware
of the option to receive the
monoclonal antibody ther
apy, perhaps there will be
more happy outcomes like
hers.
ask V; *
Ms. MmgfmUM
Letters have been edited for length and clarity.
Dear Ms. Magnolia,
We ’re in quail season now and many
of my friends go bird hunting. We usu
ally have a younger one or two with
us that are just learning. I would, like
to give some advice to them, in case
their fathers and uncles forget to teach
bird hunting manners. Even some of us
“good ol ’ boys ” read your column and
maybe they will see it.
1. Hunt safety. Shoot toward the sky,
not the ground. Make sure you have a
clear shot with no other shooter or dog
in the way before you pull the trigger.
2. Stay in a straight line with the
other hunters, shoot only in your safety
zone, and don’t shoot more than your
fair share of birds. And don’t make ex
cuses when you miss.
3. Use a break-open, over-under,
side-by-side, or single-shot gun that can
be carried safely with the action open so
everybody can see it.
4. If it’s not your dog, don’t talk to it
or try to give it commands. It confuses
the dog and makes his human mad.
5. Respect hunting land. Clean up
your empty shells and any trash.
6. Best thing for inexperienced hunt
ers is to observe everything around you,
and listen to your surroundings and the
experienced hunters. Don’t just talk, but
do ask real questions if you need to.
Hunter J.
Dear Hunter J.,
I always appreciate input that can
help our young people and their el
ders practice safe habits. Thank you.
If you have a question for Ms. Magnolia, please mail it to P.O. Box 669, Vidalia, GA
30475, or e-mail to msmagnoliaadvance@yahoo.com.
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