Antibodies

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Anchor lead: A monoclonal antibody against Covid-19 has been granted emergency use authorization, Elizabeth Tracey reports

Antibodies developed in a laboratory against a protein Sars-CoV2 uses to enter cells have been granted emergency use authorization by the FDA. Arturo Casadevall, an antibody expert at Johns Hopkins, says this is based on the evidence that the therapy works.

Casadevall: Once again you have another trial showing that administration of antibodies is an antiviral and I think everybody is expecting that if you have something that is functioning as an antiviral and you give it early, you’ll check the disease. Something that we all think happened to President Trump who basically was given antibodies early which functioned as an antiviral, and you see the rapid recovery afterward.  :20

Casadevall says its unknown whether giving antibodies will compromise someone’s own immune reponse.

Casadevall: We’ll know in a few months, but my view is that if you save people’s lives I’ll take low antibody responses, they can always be vaccinated in the future.  :09

At Johns Hopkins, I’m Elizabeth Tracey.