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From an internal study done at UPMC, there was a 70 percent reduction rate in COVID illness severity for those who had an antibody infusion treatment compared to those who did not receive the treatment according to Dr. Rutul Dalal, medical director of Infectious Diseases and chair of Prevention Control at UPMC in the Susquehanna region.
"Antibodies are cells that are operated by our own body in response to a foreign antigen," Dr. Dalal said.
He described these antigens as viruses, like COVID, as well as parasites.
The treatment with the particular antibodies will "boost our own bodies immune system to fight against the infection, Dalal said.
The antibodies will come through an IV infusion that will take a couple of hours with observation and then the patient can leave if they are not having any adverse reactions to the infusion.
"This has been the treatment that prevents patients from progressing into severe disease, hospitalization or death," Dalal said.
Dalal also noted that this treatment has the best chance at working for the patient within the first 10 days and even better efficiency within the first four days.
"The earlier the better," Dalal said.
Treatment can go to patients as young as 12 years old, especially if the child has other underlying health conditions and more risk to severe illness.
"The main goal is to prevent someone from being hospitalized," Dalal said.
He added that so far there were a handful of patients that were seen at the Divine Providence campus as well as UPMC in Wellsboro and no patients who have received the treatment have been hospitalized.
UPMC has three different antibody treatments available including: bamlanivimab, casirivimab and imdevimab, which have common side effects of nausea, diarrhea, dizziness, headaches and vomiting.
"It takes at least around a day and a half to see some difference," Dalal said.
He added that much of the changes will happen over time and symptoms will continue to get better.
When patients first come into the hospital for COVID, Dalal said that their most severe symptoms are low oxygen saturation and shortness of breath and that those are typically the symptoms that start to get better with antibody treatments.
The treatment has been tested, studied and recommended by many doctors and Dalal claims it to be "a safe drug to have".
If you or someone you know has been recently diagnosed with COVID-19 and are interested in the antibody infusion treatment, Dalal recommends them to reach out to their primary care physician who can get them to the right place for treatment, as well as any treatment details they may need.
"It (the treatment) can prevent someone from getting sicker," Dalal said. "Always speak to your healthcare provider. The faster (you receive treatment) the better chance of a positive outcome."
For more information please visit: https://www.upmc.com/coronavirus/monoclonal-antibodies.