What Is The 'Antibody Cocktail' Treatment For Covid?
JEAN-CHRISTOPHE VERHAEGEN via Getty Images  Researchers have found a new treatment that helps to reduce death among patients admitted to hospital with severe Covid-19. Heres everything you need to know about the treatment  and the latest update from the Recovery trial. Researchers were examining a type of treatment called a monoclonal antibody combination  which has been previously called an antibody cocktail. They found that taking the treatment, made by pharmaceutical company Regeneron, reduces deaths for patients in hospital with Covid-19 who have not mounted their own immune response. The therapy uses two artificial antibodies, these are generated in a lab to make very potent antibodies. These two monoclonal antibodies, casirivimab and imdevimab, bind specifically to two different sites on the coronavirus spike protein, neutralising the ability of the virus to infect cells. The idea is to inject these artificial antibodies so they bind to the virus in a bid to stop the infection in its tracks. Because this treatment uses two types of artificial antibodies, it is hoped it will be able to bypass any resistance the patient builds up against one of them. It is also hoped by using a combination of antibodies, the likelihood of viral variants to escape treatment is diminished. No, this study implies that patients who do not have antibodies would benefit from this treatment, not patients who already have antibodies. As the researchers say: If they have (got antibodies), theres no need to give them more.  If patients do not have antibodies of their own, then giving them this combination of two artificial antibodies, via an intravenous infusion (also known as an IV drip), this reduces their chances of dying. This is an important study because it assessed the treatment among some of the sickest Covid patients and gave them better odds of survival. They were also found to spend fewer days in hospital compared to those who didnt get the treatment. It was also found to reduce their chances of needing to be treated with a ventilator. Dexamethasone and Tocilizumab are used for treating Covid-19, but these are both therapies that tackle the immune response  the bodys overdrive inflammatory reaction to the virus. Researchers say this is the first time we have a treatment that is actually targeting the virus itself. The new therapy could be used in combination with other treatments. Some cancer patients, people with compromised immune systems and some others who fail to make an antibody response. Having antibodies in the blood shows that a persons body has created an immune response  either as a response to infection or a vaccine. But the Covid-19 vaccines are not completely effective so some people may have both doses and still get sick. No, before it becomes part of standard practice it will need to go through regulatory approval from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). Meanwhile, it will take some forethought from the NHS before it is rolled out as it will require patients to be tested to see if they have antibodies when they are admitted to hospital  which is not currently standard practise.