The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) has ordered a monoclonal antibody-based drug to treat mild to moderate cases of COVID-19, which it expects to receive by the middle of the month, it said on Friday.
Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the CECC, announced the drug purchase, but did not identify the medicine or how many doses had been purchased.
A CECC news release indicated that the shipment would have enough doses to treat 1,000 people.
The drug would be used to treat people with mild to moderate symptoms of COVID-19 who are at high risk of developing more serious symptoms, to lower their risk of becoming seriously ill and requiring hospitalization, Chen said.
The drug would be distributed to hospitals that also serve as quarantine centers, the CECC said, adding that patients would be treated with the combination of medicines after a physician’s diagnosis.
Citing international studies, Chen said that the number of people with COVID-19 who have mild symptoms accounted for about 80 percent of the total cases.
About 9 percent of such patients can become seriously ill, but this is often as a result of risk factors such as old age, obesity, chronic kidney failure, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, chronic lung disease, immunosuppression disorders and pregnancy, he said.
As the domestic outbreak remains strong and is pushing medical resources for severe cases to the brink, the CECC decided to introduce the monoclonal antibody-based drug after obtaining evidence of its efficacy and safety in treating moderate or mild cases of COVID-19, he said.
The US Food and Drug Administration and some other countries have issued emergency use authorization for clinical use of anti-SARS-CoV-2 monoclonal antibodies in treating mild to moderate cases of COVID-19 in nonhospitalized patients.
The US gave approval to Regeneron Pharmaceuticals’ antibody cocktail of casirivimab plus imdevimab in November last year and to Eli Lilly & Co’s bamlanivimab and etesevimab combination in February.
The drugs are used to treat mild to moderate cases of COVID-19 in nonhospitalized patients who are at high risk of developing severe symptoms, according to the COVID-19 treatment guidelines published by the US National Institutes of Health.
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