Wilson Health now offers a new antibody treatment for COVID-19 patients that meet specific criteria that may lessen the severity of illness for high-risk people.
One of the new medication treatments is called Bamlanivimab, an antibody solution produced by Eli Lilly. The synthetic antibody drug was recently made available through emergency use authorization from the FDA as a treatment for some COVID-19 patients.
Wilson Health also offers to qualified patients Regeneron’s Regn-COV2, another antibody treatment for COVID-19 patients.
“Both antibody medication treatments are for patients who are not on oxygen and do not need hospitalization,” said Dr. Robert McDevitt, Chief Medical Officer at Wilson Health. “It’s really a means to get patients who are mild to moderately symptomatic not to have any progression of their illness and keep them out of the hospital and emergency department.”
This specific group of potential candidates are those who are not sick enough to be hospitalized but have pre-existing health conditions that nearly guarantee that if something isn’t done, they likely will need hospitalization. “These are patients who have immunosuppression or other comorbidities that make them more likely to have serious effects from COVID-19,” stated Dr. McDevitt.
How does the antibody treatment work? The medication treatments are administered through an IV infusion. McDevitt says, “Bamlinivimab and Regn-COV2 are human monoclonal antibodies that attach to the spike proteins on the coronavirus and prevents the virus from entering the cell, so the virus can’t replicate. That way you could have less of the virus in your body and get rid of it easier. It basically finds the coronavirus, and gives it a hug so it can't attach to other cells.”
If you test positive for COVID-19 and are wondering if this treatment might help you, talk with your doctor. They can discuss with you more about how the drug treatments work, its possible side effects, what your pre-existing conditions are, and if you are a good candidate or not. A physician referral is needed for this treatment.
McDevitt points out we already have other tools at our disposal that can give us protection from COVID-19. “There are a lot of things people are doing on their own - wearing masks, social distancing. These antibody treatments are simply another tool that our physicians can use in this battle against the COVID-19 virus.”
If you are need of a physician, Wilson Health providers are accepting new patients. Call Wilson Health Medical Group at (937) 498-9464. Or visit, wilsonhealth.org.