Antibody cocktail for Covid appears to be successful treatment, but the cost renders it unaffordable for most people

A month after an antibody cocktail was approved in India for treating mild to moderate Covid-19 in high-risk patients, some of the country's premier private hospitals have stated that their use of it has yielded impressive results.

This medication, however, is likely to remain a niche product and not a widely used instrument in the country's fight against the epidemic due to its high cost and complicated manufacturing procedure.

Monoclonal antibodies are proteins created in a lab that replicate the immune system's ability to combat infections. Recently, specific monoclonal antibodies have been developed to precisely target the Covid virus's spike protein, preventing the virus from attaching to human cells and infecting them.

Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in New Delhi stated on Thursday that it had successfully used monoclonal antibody therapy to treat two COVID-19 patients who were experiencing rapid progression of symptoms within the first seven days of the disease. REGCov2, a virus intended to produce resistance to SARS-CoV-2, was administered to both patients.

Antibodies, which are produced naturally in the body, combat disease. Monoclonal antibodies are similar to polyclonal antibodies in that they are created artificially in a laboratory and aid in disease defense. Casirivimab and Imdevimab are monoclonal antibodies that target the spike protein of the Sars-CoV-2 virus.

Fever, difficulty breathing, chills, weariness, discomfort, weakness, nausea, headache, throat irritation, rash, and other responses are all possible adverse effects. Only a few cases of severe hypersensitivity responses have been observed.

The cocktail is imported by Roche Pharma India and marketed and supplied by Cipla under a strategic collaboration. ₹Cipla charges 119,500 for a two-dose pack.

The two antibodies, each weighing 600 milligrams, are blended like a cocktail. It's given intravenously or subcutaneously, much like an injection. These injections can be delivered subcutaneously at four different locations on the body. Within 30 minutes, the patient receives a complete dosage of an antibody cocktail. After that, the patient will be observed for an hour to see whether there are any reactions.