(Fargo, ND) As COVID-19 remains prevalent in our communities, Essentia Health continues to offer a treatment for people diagnosed with mild to moderate cases of the virus who are at high risk for severe complications and hospitalization.
It’s called monoclonal antibody treatment. Monoclonal antibodies are laboratory-made proteins, which mimic the immune system’s ability to fight off harmful pathogens found in viruses. The first monoclonal antibody to receive emergency use authorization by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was bamlanivimab in November 2020. Since that time, other monoclonal antibody treatments have also been authorized for use.
Data from 4,600 patients in Minnesota showed that bamlanivimab lowered hospitalization rates to 2.3%, compared to 10-15% for those who didn’t undergo the treatment. Preliminary data also showed as much as a 70% reduction in both hospitalizations and death in treated patients.