Experimental drug given to President Trump for COVID-19 treatment has limited availability in metro

ATLANTA — An experimental drug that can help reduce COVID-19 in your body and shorten your stay in the hospital is now available in metro Atlanta.

REGN-COV2 is considered one of the most promising treatments in the U.S. — an experimental antibody cocktail that has the ability to reduce the virus in your body. The treatment is produced by pharmaceutical company Regeneron.

It is one of the drugs given to President Donald Trump as he continues to recover from the virus at Walter Reed Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland.

Channel 2′s Michael Seiden has learned that only a small group of people in the metro will have access to it for now. But researchers are now looking to expand testing.

Dr. Shraddha Dubal is the clinical director of Wake Research’s Atlanta site. Right now, she and her team are looking for at least 10 volunteers to participate in this study.

“We’re looking for adults. So 18 and over, living in a household with someone who just tested positive, so we don’t know if this individual is positive or not,” Dubal said. “By participating in a clinical trial, you’re helping not only for our pandemic we’re going through, but you’re helping create new treatments for new situations that we may not have a treatment yet.”

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In the meantime, Regeneron has released its findings from a trial of 275 non-hospitalized COVID-19 patients who were treated with either the antibody cocktail or placebo.

The company stated patients saw an improvement in their conditions and reported milder symptoms.

But despite encouraging results, the drug has not yet been cleared by the Food and Drug Administration.

“It is different than a vaccine. When someone takes a vaccine, it takes two to four weeks for their bodies to create the antibody. What will fight the virus, and this trial in particular, they are providing the cocktail of the antibody, so it’s supposed to respond much faster and help prevent infection and/or lessen the severity of symptoms,” Dubal said.

Dubal said shows the antibody cocktail given in these trials will last a shorter time than a potential vaccine.

Right now, there is no set timetable as to when the drug will be available to the general public. But as more and more clinical trials begin, decisions should be made in the coming months.

If you’re interested in participating in this trial, you could earn more than $3,000 for taking part in it. Here is how to take part:

• Call Mount Vernon Clinical Research office directly: 404.843.4400
• Visit www.CovidStudies.org
• Call or Text “COVID” to 470.863.1968

Timeline the week leading up to President Trump’s positive coronavirus test (NCD)

Cox Media Group