November 25, 2020
Some patients in the outpatient clinic at the Baltimore City Convention Center's field hospital have started receiving bamlanivimab, an experimental antibody that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has authorized to treat those most at risk of developing serious illness due to the coronavirus, according to the University of Maryland Medical System's website.
People who are experiencing mild or moderate symptoms of COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus, and have certain pre-existing conditions, may qualify for the drug, which has received the FDA's Emergency Use Authorization. It has not been approved by the federal agency, but it has been shown in clinical trials to reduce the chances of hospitalization in patients most at risk of severe disease progression, according to the FDA.
Physicians can now refer patients to receive the antibody treatment at the convention center's "Infusion Center." Patients will be prioritized based on how long they've been experiencing symptoms due to the limited available allotments of the drug. If there's not enough supply, a lottery system will be applied.
The FDA authorized bamlanivimab for emergency use Nov. 9 based on promising trial outcomes and participants' moderate reported side effects. Only 3% of those who received an IV infusion of the drug visited the emergency room later, compared to 10% of those in the placebo group of the clinical trial, the drug maker Eli Lilly and Co. reported.
Bamlanivimab is not authorized for those who are already hospitalized or being treated with oxygen therapy. Those with diabetes, kidney disease, immunosuppressive diseases or taking immunosuppressive medications have been identified as potential candidates for the drug. Kids 12 or older also may be eligible.
The drug is a monoclonal antibody, or laboratory-engineered molecules designed to serve as substitute antibodies that can enhance or mimic the immune system's attack on foreign cells. Antibodies typically help defend the body from sicknesses such as the regular flu, but seem to work best at the earliest stages of illness.
