Monoclonal antibodies: Donald Trump's experimental treatment
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With a positive Sars-CoV-2 diagnosis a few days ago, the 45th president of the United States has received an experimental medical treatment, which includes synthetic monoclonal antibodies. We explain what it consists of.
In a health bulletin sent to the press, Sean Conley, the White House doctor, detailed the different drugs prescribed to the President of the United States, Donald Trump, to fight against Covid-19.
If zinc, vitamin D, melatonin, or even aspirin seems harmless enough, another treatment has taken a toll on the medical and scientific community around the world. The president of the United States has indeed received a single 8-gram dose of the experimental cocktail of synthetic monoclonal antibodies developed by the pharmaceutical company Regeneron, whose CEO is close to the president.
Expensive and difficult to develop, these synthetic antibodies have been exceptionally prescribed to the President, especially since they do not yet have a marketing authorization in the United States. While Regeneron announced in early July that it would begin a phase III clinical trial to evaluate a combination of two antibodies as a preventive treatment for Covid-19, but also as a curative treatment in Covid-positive patients, only the press releases that reveal data Currently preliminary tests attest to the therapeutic potential of these antibodies.
These preliminary findings currently attest to the therapeutic potential of these antibodies. Likewise, the firm Eli Lilly, which is also working to use antibodies to treat Covid-19, has revealed new data from an ongoing study, but no scientific publication. However, believing these results to be promising, he applied for an emergency authorization for use with the FDA, the United States Agency for Medicines.
Firmly convinced that this treatment saved him if it did not accelerate his recovery, Donald Trump said in a video posted on his Twitter account that these antibodies and other similar treatments that are being validated will soon be available for free to Americans, through authorization. for emergency use granted by the FDA.
Specifically, so-called "monoclonal" antibodies are antibodies, or molecules of the immune system, produced in vitro in the laboratory to treat specific diseases. They are produced by bacterial or animal cells selected for their ability to produce a particular antibody. Injected into the patient, these antibodies will mimic the bodys natural response to an infection to fight it more effectively. These antibodies stick to a protein on the surface of the virus, preventing it from entering, infecting, and multiplying cells. Therefore, monoclonal antibodies are used in immunotherapy against certain cancers and chronic inflammatory diseases, but they are also planned and under evaluation to fight the Ebola virus.
The goal here is not to replace the immune system, but to support it and prevent it from being overwhelmed by infection. Synthetic antibodies and antibodies made by the body in response to an infection will work together to limit the spread of the virus in the body.
Note that if this experimental treatment may have helped the US president cope with Covid-19, the prescription of the antiviral remdesivir undoubtedly played a role as well. According to several corroborating sources, the president of the United States is also taking corticosteroids, considered increasingly useful by the global medical community to fight against coronavirus infection. On the other hand, Donald Trump did not receive hydroxychloroquine, a controversial treatment that he praised for its effectiveness and safety a few months ago.
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