The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry gave special approval on Monday for an antibody cocktail treatment for COVID-19 patients with mild to moderate symptoms. It is the fourth COVID-19 drug, and the first for patients with mild symptoms, to be approved in Japan.
The treatment will be administered intravenously to patients at hospitals. It will be used for patients who have mild to moderate symptoms and are in the early stages of the illness but are at high risk of developing severe symptoms, such as patients who are over 50 years old or have underlying health conditions. The drug is being distributed to medical institutions upon request starting Tuesday.
The cocktail, developed by a U.S. pharmaceutical company Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc., combines two neutralizing antibodies, Casirivimab and Imdevimab. It was created using the antibodies from those who recovered from COVID-19. In Japan, it will be sold through Chugai Pharmaceutical Co.
The drug is effective in preventing the virus from infecting healthy cells. It is said to reduce the risk of hospitalization and death by 70% for patients with mild to moderate symptoms, according to overseas clinical trials.
The treatment became known when then U.S. President Donald Trump tested positive for the coronavirus and received the drug before its approval.
The approval of a new drug that can be used for patients with mild symptoms is expected to help prevent their symptoms from worsening. However, drugs that use antibodies are not only difficult to manufacture but are expensive.
The government has an agreement with Chugai Pharmaceutical to secure the domestic supply for 2021, but supplies are limited. The drug will not be available for patients who are being treated at home for the time being.
"This is a groundbreaking drug," said Shimane University's Prof. Takeshi Urano, a pathological biochemistry specialist knowledgeable about antibody drugs. "It will be effective if selectively administered to people who are at high risk of developing serious symptoms."
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
