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IT is generally acknowledged that with new, more transmissible and potentially lethal variants spreading worldwide, vaccines are also unlikely to be the complete solution to managing the pandemic.
Countries urgently need a broader armoury of effective drugs, particularly those that act early in the disease or as prophylaxis.
Accordingly, the developing world is now moving towards administering antibody combinations to treat patients with mild to moderate Covid-19, to better manage emerging variants of concern, stop deaths and reduce the burden on overstretched healthcare systems.
One type of intervention that has shown promise is monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). Research overseas has shown that mAbs treatment – when given at an early stage to mild-to-moderate patients – can reduce the progression rate to severe Covid-19 requiring hospitalisation, oxygen therapy and even reduce risk of death.