Antibody drug shown to prevent coronavirus at nursing homes, reduce risk by 80% for residents

An antibody drug made by Eli Lilly was shown to prevent coronavirus in residents and staff of nursing homes in addition to offering an effective treatment option to those who are already infected, the company announced Thursday.

“It’s just a very hopeful time, we are grateful we can offer the monoclonal treatment to our patients now if they need it,” said Zo Long, division vice president for Life Care Centers of America who oversees Rhode Island and Massachusetts.

Study findings released by Eli Lilly show that 1,000 nursing home residents and staff who got the drug had up to a 57% lower risk of getting COVID-19 compared to others at the same facility who got a placebo.

Among residents only, the risk was reduced by up to 80%.

The drug, called bamlanivimab, is given one time via infusion and is currently authorized for emergency use for the treatment of the coronavirus in high-risk patients, but not yet for prevention.

Among the 299 residents in the prevention group, there were four deaths coronavirus deaths in placebo patients and none in the bamlanivimab patients.

Among the 41 residents in the treatment group, there were four deaths in the placebo group with none in the bamlanivimab group.

“I see the monoclonal antibody treatment as our only key option for our highest risk patients into the summer until we get that very comprehensive vaccination complete,” said Dr. James Lederer, chief medical officer of Berkshire Health Systems, who has provided the treatment to Massachusetts patients.

Dr. Donald Burt, chief medical officer of Berkshire Healthcare, added, “We’ve been using it for treatment and the prevention side is actually pretty exciting.”

Nursing homes and other long-term care locations have been hard hit by the pandemic. In the United States, they account for less than 1% of the population, but nearly 40% of deaths from COVID-19.

Tara Panciotti, a nurse at Evergreen House Health Center in East Providence, R.I., said the treatment has been given to 14 patients, all of whom have recovered.

“They’re starting to feel better much sooner, we are not seeing that three and four week time period where they are still feeling ill,” Paniciotti said.

Herald wire services contributed to this report.

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/3oeXqWd