Antibody cocktail Therapy
Roche's antibody cocktail, which is available in India, comprises the drugs Casirivimab and Imdevimab. Casirivimab and Imdevimab are human immunoglobulin G-1 (IgG1) monoclonal antibodies, which are proteins that mimic the immune system's ability to fight off harmful pathogens.
The therapy is a cocktail of two drugs, Casirivimab and Imdevimab. The cocktail therapy claims to reduce hospitalisation and death in COVID-19 patients by 70 per cent. The drug is imported and marketed by the pharma companies Roche India and Cipla.
Each patient dose is 1,200 mg (600 mg of Casirivimab and 600 mg of Imdevimab). The price for each patient dose will be around Rs 60,000. The drugs are a combination of monoclonal or artificial antibodies made by cloning a unique white blood cell.
These antibodies are designed to fight against the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2. The therapy is effective for the treatment of COVID-19 patients with mild to moderate symptoms. The drug is given during the first seven days of the infection when the virus multiplies. It stops the virus from entering the cells of the patient and colonising them. The therapy is not advised for severe COVID-19 patients who require oxygen therapy.
A recent Centre for Disease Control study suggests that physiological changes in pregnancy such as increased heart rate and oxygen consumption and decreased lung capacity, make pregnant women more vulnerable to COVID-19.
The study also concluded that there was a 70 per cent increased risk of death associated with pregnancy, compared to women who were not pregnant. The United States had last November added pregnancy to its list of underlying medical conditions associated with high risk for severe COVID-19.
Doctors also said there are also some limitations in treating pregnant women who have COVID-19.
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