Monoclonal antibodies are a type of drug that has been successful at treating certain types of disease. These drugs look for and bind to a specific protein in a cancer cell, triggering an immune response that destroys the outer wall (membrane) of the cell or blocks the connection between the cell and proteins that promote cancer growth.
What are monoclonal antibodies?
Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are a type of immune system medicine that can help your body fight COVID-19. These products work by targeting a certain protein on the virus’s surface called the spike. The antibodies block the spike’s ability to attach and enter human cells. This helps the immune system mount its own immune response so it can begin to break down the virus.
They may also flag the virus as a foreign invader so that other parts of the immune system can clear it away. The treatment is usually given by a medical professional at an infusion center, pharmacy, or home. The infusion takes about 30 seconds and lasts for an hour, then the staff will monitor you for an hour to watch for side effects.
If you have Medicare Part B and your doctor thinks this kind of product can help you, you may be able to receive it for free during or after the COVID-19 public health emergency, depending on your situation. This type of product is called post-exposure prophylaxis, and it’s not a substitute for vaccination.
In most cases, monoclonal antibody infusion therapy is administered at an outpatient clinic and can take between 30 seconds and an hour to be effective. During that time, the medical staff will monitor you for any side effects or reactions that might occur, and talk with you about how to handle them if needed.
This kind of medicine can be expensive. However, it is a relatively safe and effective treatment option for some people. It can decrease the number of hospitalizations and save lives by preventing infections.
When you get a monoclonal antibody infusion, you need to follow current local and federal guidelines for isolating yourself. This includes keeping yourself separate from people who might get sick and staying home when you have symptoms. It is also important to follow all other instructions from your healthcare provider and attend any appointments.
CDC recommends that patients with COVID-19 who are receiving monoclonal antibody therapy continue to isolate according to these guidelines. This can include social distancing, frequent handwashing, wearing a mask, and cleaning or disinfecting “high-touch” surfaces to reduce the chance of transmitting the infection to others.
How do monoclonal antibodies work?
Monoclonal antibodies, or MBIs, are a type of medication that helps your immune system fight off infections. They are made in a laboratory and can target a specific virus or infection such as COVID-19.
There are currently three types of monoclonal antibody therapies available for the treatment of COVID-19. These include:
The first type of monoclonal antibody therapy is an IV infusion. This takes about an hour and is given in a medical center. Afterward, you stay at the infusion center for an additional hour to monitor for any reaction. This is important for your safety and to ensure there is no allergic reaction.
You can also get the monoclonal antibodies through an injection under your skin. This is an option if you have difficulty with an IV infusion or would otherwise have to delay your treatment. The dosage for this treatment is a lower amount than the infusion treatment.
In addition to helping your immune system fight off the COVID-19 virus, these antibodies can help lower your viral load (the amount of virus in your body). This can reduce your symptoms and make you feel better faster.
However, the MBIs have only been around for a short time and the SARS-CoV-2 virus is constantly changing so it’s hard to know whether they will continue to work against new viral variants of COVID-19. For this reason, the FDA has revoked the approval of most anti-SARS-CoV-2 monoclonal antibodies, including sotrovimab and bebtelovimab, which only had an effect against the Omicron variant.
Researchers are looking for new monoclonal antibodies that will last longer against mutating variants of COVID-19. This may be difficult to do because a monoclonal antibody needs to be able to hit the spike protein – the part of the coronavirus that causes severe illness and death – on a regular basis, or it won’t have any effect against new viruses.
This is one of the reasons why sotrovimab and bebtelovimab are only approved for the treatment of COVID-19 in people who are at high risk of serious illness. These are usually patients who are pregnant, have diabetes or high blood pressure, have a weakened immune system, have a history of a life-threatening allergic reaction to an MBI, or have recently traveled to China.
Are monoclonal antibodies safe?
Monoclonal antibodies, or mAbs, are proteins that work like the natural antibodies that your body makes to fight off viruses. They are made in a laboratory and then injected into your bloodstream, or into the skin via subcutaneous (SQ) injection. They are a type of treatment that can help prevent COVID-19 from becoming severe and keep you from going to the Emergency Department or the hospital.
Unlike vaccines, which require a strong immune response from you, monoclonal antibody treatments work by binding to the spike protein on the virus’s surface to stop it from entering your cells. This is why monoclonal antibody therapies have been shown to reduce deaths, hospitalizations, and symptom duration in patients with COVID-19.
When you receive mAb therapy, your doctor may tell you to take certain medications to prevent an allergic reaction or infection at the site of the injection. These are called “infusion-related reactions.” They happen in different ways but can include flushing, itching, shortness of breath, or low blood pressure.
These reactions are rare, but they can happen. They are a reason why doctors and healthcare providers must be familiar with your health history, medical conditions, and medication use before you receive any infusion.
The CDC recommends that you talk to your doctor about monoclonal antibody treatment and how it will affect you. It is important to do this as soon as possible if you have COVID-19 symptoms or have any questions about monoclonal antibody therapy.
It’s also important to ask your doctor about the side effects of mAbs and how they can affect you, including what could happen if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding. These drugs can cause serious problems, so it’s best to discuss them with your doctor before you start treatment.
In general, mAbs are safe for most people with mild-to-moderate COVID-19. However, if you are younger than 65 years old or have another health condition that puts you at high risk for severe disease, the mAb treatment may not be right for you.
mAbs are not for everyone with COVID-19 and should not be used as a replacement for vaccination. These medications are effective for preventing severe disease, but the virus can still spread inside your body after you get treatment. Therefore, you must continue to follow infection control measures like social distancing, frequent handwashing, mask-wearing, and cleaning and disinfecting “high-touch” surfaces, including your hands, before and after mAb administration.
Are monoclonal antibodies effective?
Monoclonal antibodies are a type of drug that’s designed to fight viruses. These proteins work by mimicking the immune system’s ability to destroy viruses and other harmful microorganisms, such as bacteria or fungi. The anti-viral effects of monoclonal antibodies can reduce the amount of virus in the body, lowering symptoms and helping to prevent hospitalization and death.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a lot of research being done to develop drugs that could fend off this virus. Scientists figured out which antibodies were most effective against COVID-19, isolated them, and mass-produced them for use as a treatment.
One of the most promising monoclonal antibody treatments was bebtelovimab, which had been authorized by the Food and Drug Administration for emergency use. But in late November, the FDA revoked its emergency use authorization because it no longer worked against the latest variants of SARS-CoV-2.
This means that hospitals are now faced with a large winter surge without the most effective COVID-19 treatment. The FDA is requiring drug companies to rework their products and submit them for new testing. And it’s also re-evaluating the need for monoclonal antibodies in general, as the virus continues to mutate.
But while monoclonal antibodies will be important in the long run, there are a number of other potential treatment options for the COVID-19 virus. Paxlovid pills and remdesivir infusions can still help to fend off the COVID-19 virus, but they won’t be as effective as monoclonal antibodies.
Researchers are working to develop new antibodies that will be more powerful, but they will take time and money to test and prove their effectiveness. For now, the best way to ward off COVID-19 is to get vaccinated.
In a recent study, researchers found that monoclonal antibodies can help cut COVID-19 hospitalizations and emergency room visits by reducing the amount of the COVID-19 virus in an infected person’s blood. This decrease in the virus can lead to less severe symptoms and help prevent hospitalizations and deaths, according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
If you have been diagnosed with COVID-19 and you think you’re eligible for monoclonal antibody therapy, contact your doctor or call your local Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin locations to find out more about the treatment process. You may also want to ask your doctor if you can receive a monoclonal antibody shot, which is similar to an IV but can be given as an injection.
