This antibody treatment highly effective against Covid Delta variant

Monoclonal antibody therapy reduces severe disease and death in high-risk individuals infected with Delta variant of Covid-19 by 100 per cent, a study by Hyderabad based AIG Hospitals, CSIR-Center for Cellular and Molecular Biology involving other institutions has revealed.

This is the first peer-reviewed study globally to test the drug cocktail's efficacy against the Delta variant, researchers claimed.

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Delta, with a diverse set of mutations, has evolved to be the most dangerous among the SARS-CoV-2 virus variants. Its higher infectivity and transmissibility has wreaked havoc in the country earlier this year.

Dr Nageshwar Reddy, chairman of AIG Hospitals termed their study results as “astonishing," with the potential of reshaping the public health policy for Covid-19 treatment especially in high-risk individuals with chronic conditions like diabetes, hypertension, obesity and senior citizens, pregnant women.

“We have clearly demonstrated in our research that when given at the right time, Monoclonal Therapy stops the progression of the disease completely,” Dr Reddy said.

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The results of the study conducted on 285 high-risk individuals were published in the International Journal of Internal Medicine.

According to the researchers, more than 98 per cent of samples tested were identified as the Delta Variant.

The highlights of the study are that 75 per cent of patients who received the Monoclonal Therapy became RT-PCR negative by the seventh day. Over 78 per cent of patients were relieved of their clinical symptoms like fever, cough, etc. within the same period. None of the study participants developed severe disease or have died. There was no increase in inflammatory markers in these patients which causes severe disease. “And on follow up, none of the patients reported any post-Covid-19 symptoms.”

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Researchers said that the neutralizing activity of the Monoclonal Therapy was similar in both the original Wuhan Strain and the Delta Strain.

While patients for the study were recruited from the fever clinic at AIG Hospitals, CCMB sequenced genomes of the virus strains collected to confirm the Delta variant. The neutralising activity of the cocktail against the delta variant was tested at Dr Reddy's Institute of Life Sciences, University of Hyderabad.

“Compared to Covid-19 hospitalisation costs in the country, the cost factor of the monoclonal therapy is quite considerate given the fact that now we know it prevents deaths and severe disease by 100 per cent,” Dr Reddy further added.

“We are now studying the effectiveness of this drug cocktail in hospitalized patients and exploring the possible use of this therapy as prophylaxis (prevention),” Dr Reddy said.

The Monoclonal Antibody-drug cocktail had gained global attention as a miracle cure for Covid-19 ever since it was administered on ex-US president Donald Trump.

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