MUMBAI: The BMC on Monday announced that it has carried out a pilot study to check the efficacy of an expensive treatment called antibodies cocktail — popularised by former US president Donald Trump— among 212 Covid-19 patients with mild to moderate infection.
The treatment costs Rs 60,000 per patient, but the BMC got the two antibody drugs, Casirivimab and Imdevimab, through donations. The study, carried out in BMC-run Seven Hills Hospital, Andheri, included 74 patients with at least one co-morbidity and whose CT scan score was around eight out of 25.
Hospital dean Dr B Adsul said fever in all the patients dropped within 48 hours. “Covid progressed in only one patient (0.5%) whose oxygen need increased, but the mortality rate dropped by 70%,” said Dr Adsul.
Senior BMC officials said hospital stay was reduced to five to six days as against the mean time of 13 to 14 days needed for patients admitted here during the first and second waves. Dr Adsul said 5% of patients had to undergo ICU treatment. “Most importantly, no side-effects were reported in any patients,” he added.
The BMC press statement claimed the cocktail could be “financially beneficial” as patients could avoid hospitalisation and “other expensive medications”. Stating that the stress on healthcare staffers would be reduced as the treatment can be given in the OPD, the release added that the BMC would consider using the monoclonal antibodies during the expected third wave.
A similar study was carried out among patients admitted to the private ICU at Seven Hills and NSCI dome managed by H N Reliance Hospital. CEO Dr Tarang Gianchandani said 70 patients were given the medicines free of cost. “The rate of hospitalisation and deaths dropped drastically in these patients, proving that it can be established as a line of treatment,” she added.
