Texas getting shipments of COVID-19 treatment drugs Regeneron and bamlanivimab

[Elderberry]

Houston Chronicle by  Jeremy Blackman Nov. 13, 2020

Texas getting shipments of COVID-19 treatment drugs Regeneron and bamlanivimab

Gov. Greg Abbott said Friday that Texas will be distributing a federally approved COVID-19 treatment that helps protect people with mild illness from developing severe symptoms. But the supplies are likely to be limited.

In a statement, the governor said shipments of the drug, bamlanivimab, could go out as early as next week. Abbott also said in an interview with KTRK-TV in Houston that in the coming weeks he expects the state to receive a shipment of Regeneron, the drug that President Donald Trump received last month during his COVID infection.

“For anybody who gets COVID, we will now have drugs available,” Abbott said.

The news comes as Pfizer announced positive early results from its vaccine candidate this week. If the results prove out, federal officials said as many as 20 million doses could be available nationwide by the end of the year. Until then, they are urging people to continue masking, social distancing and avoiding indoor gatherings as a third wave of infections sweeps across the country.

More: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/coronavirus/article/Texas-getting-shipments-of-COVID-19-treatment-15725505.php

[PeteS in CA]

At this point, Eli Lilly's "bamlanivimab" has EUA. Regeneron has applied for EUA for REGN-COV2 but has not yet received it. At this point REGN-COV2 would be obtained on a "Compassionate Use" basis. I would not be surprised if REGN-COV2 receives EUA within the next week or two.

These are very close to being game changers. Administered early in the infection process they are like fast-forwarding a patient's immune system a couple of weeks, from few if any antibodies to a full load of Covid-specific antibodies. In Trump's case. apparently his immune system did produce at least some antibodies of his own, so the treatment does not necessarily short-circuit that natural process.