Regeneron’s antibody cocktail that treated Donald Trump, is now through the hoops at UK Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency. This means doctors there may therefore start prescribing Ronapreve for treatment of coronavirus infections. Are we entering a ‘new normal phase’, as UK approves Ronapreve for COVID patients we wonder? Certainly, the virus is persistent.
Is the Pandemic Becoming Our New Life Style?
The facts of the case draw us to the conclusion COVID-19 is becoming the new normal. And it could continue to do so until humanity faces up to it and knuckles down. Or some scientist, somewhere comes up with cure-all solution that seems increasingly unlikely. Until then, we will have to rely on self-protection, and drugs like Ronapreve for when we get ill.
Ronapreve is an artificial antibody drug. Because it contains two monoclonal antibodies mimicking our natural defenses. And binding to the coronavirus spike protein according to The Guardian. This then prevents virus uptake by affected cells, and speeds clearance of the infection from our bodies.
‘The rationale for combining two different antibodies is simple,’ explains Martin Landray, a professor of medicine and epidemiology at Oxford University. ‘Because if a variant prevents one drug from binding to spike proteins, the other would still be effective.’
Benefits of Ronapreve Drug Approved for COVID Patients in UK
Ronapreve helps manage COVID-19 symptoms, so diseased people are less likely to go to hospital. However, its ability to ward off infections could also help protect outbreaks in close communities, like care homes, and prison settings.
Penny Ward, visiting professor in pharmaceutical medicine at King’s College, London explains things this way. Thanks to the UK government approving Ronapreve for COVID patients, she says hospital admissions could reduce by 70%. And potential infections and illnesses among close contacts could be down to a similar extent as we use it.
‘Therefore, with this additional tool at our disposal, we stand a greater chance of being able to prevent the toll of COVID on hospital services,’ she believes. And save more lives from this persistent disease we add, rapidly becoming our new normal.
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Preview Image: Antibodies Bind to Spike Protein
