New Treatment Option

[LuFins Dad]

Monoclonal Antibodies- https://kslnewsradio.com/1953622/monoclonal-antibody-study-in-utah/?

57% reduction in hospitalizations if treated early.

[jon-nyc]

Cool.

But how is this new? Isn’t this the regeneron product that Trump took 10 months ago?

[Jolly]

Maybe, maybe not. Could be Regeneron, might be BAM. Could be something else I don't know about.

Around here, it's been a bit hard to get your hands on one outside of the hospital, since supplied have recently been spotty.

[LuFins Dad]

Desantis is rolling out a Rapid Response Team to get the treatment into people’s hands at the first symptoms… https://www.local10.com/news/florida/2021/08/12/desantis-sets-plan-for-regeneron-and-monoclonal-antibodies-to-fight-covid-19/

[Loki]

That’s great but check out the cost. Order of magnitude more expensive than a vaccine. A lot cheaper than remdesivir which involves hospital stay however.

https://www.cms.gov/files/document/covid-infographic-coverage-monoclonal-antibody-products-treat-covid-19.pdf

[LuFins Dad]

$400 paid as needed? I’ve paid more than that for less critical treatments…

[Loki]

@lufins-dad said in New Treatment Option:

$400 paid as needed? I’ve paid more than that for less critical treatments…

Would a vaccine hesitant person prefer monoclonal antibodies to a vaccine? I have no idea. Of course we need monoclonal antibodies for breakthrough cases.

[LuFins Dad]

@loki said in New Treatment Option:

@lufins-dad said in New Treatment Option:

$400 paid as needed? I’ve paid more than that for less critical treatments…

Would a vaccine hesitant person prefer monoclonal antibodies to a vaccine? I have no idea. Of course we need monoclonal antibodies for breakthrough cases.

Why are you making this about vaccines? There are vaccinated people still getting severe COVID and a small number still dying…This treatment is a good thing for everyone.

[Loki]

@lufins-dad said in New Treatment Option:

@loki said in New Treatment Option:

@lufins-dad said in New Treatment Option:

$400 paid as needed? I’ve paid more than that for less critical treatments…

Would a vaccine hesitant person prefer monoclonal antibodies to a vaccine? I have no idea. Of course we need monoclonal antibodies for breakthrough cases.

Why are you making this about vaccines? There are vaccinated people still getting severe COVID and a small number still dying…This treatment is a good thing for everyone.

There has been a debate about treatment as preferential to vaccines. I think it is inbounds.

[Jolly]

@loki said in New Treatment Option:

@lufins-dad said in New Treatment Option:

@loki said in New Treatment Option:

@lufins-dad said in New Treatment Option:

$400 paid as needed? I’ve paid more than that for less critical treatments…

Would a vaccine hesitant person prefer monoclonal antibodies to a vaccine? I have no idea. Of course we need monoclonal antibodies for breakthrough cases.

Why are you making this about vaccines? There are vaccinated people still getting severe COVID and a small number still dying…This treatment is a good thing for everyone.

There has been a debate about treatment as preferential to vaccines. I think it is inbounds.

Nah, not really. You treat the patient, not the politics.

Antibody therapy works, especially well for some people. Have to do it early. On an outpatient basis, it's not hideously expensive and it can save you a bed. A bed that's badly needed in some cases. In my little rural neck of the woods we've had calls from Texas and Arkansas today, hunting beds for COVID patients.

Healthcare is a finite commodity. Especially with COVID, since your patient/nurse ratio cannot exceed 3:1. In a regular Med/Surg unit, you can stretch that ratio up to 6 or 7 per nurse, if you have nursing aides and LPN's to shoulder some of the load, but COVID is a different critter, almost like ICU in some respects.