Drug makers are struggling to develop a new generation of Covid-19 drugs to make them easier to administer to patients and to stay ahead of viral mutations that could make some current drugs less effective.
Drugs, known as monoclonal antibodies, are laboratory-designed versions of antibodies that mimic the body’s natural immune response to viruses. They are considered among the most promising for preventing infected patients from developing severe or fatal symptoms and keeping them out of the hospital. After he caught Covid-19, President Trump was treated with one of the drugs and credited with his speedy recovery. Doctors say the drugs will continue to be important treatments for the foreseeable future as vaccines become more available.
When the first generation of drugs was authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in November to treat patients who were not yet ill enough to be hospitalized, public health officials worried they would not be enough to go around. But these concerns have led to frustration that medications are unused due to challenges in administering medications, which may require about an hour of preparation before the patient arrives, an hour-long infusion, and an hour of monitoring to ensure patients don’t alergic reactions.
To reduce the logistical burden and help patients be treated earlier, researchers are working on new antibody drugs that can be given with quick blows to the arm, similar to flu vaccines. These would allow patients to be treated quickly after being diagnosed with Covid-19, said Michel C. Nussenzweig, an immunologist and professor at Rockefeller University in New York.
“That changes everything, because you can do that at CVS and do it at your doctor’s office,” said Dr. Nussenzweig, whose lab has developed a combination of antibodies that recently began initial phase 1 safety studies. “Intravenous administration is a headache. It’s just a difficult thing to do. “