WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Donald Trump has been treated with an experimental antibody cocktail for COVID-19 and “remains fatigued but in good spirits,” the president’s physician, Dr. Sean Conley, said on Friday.
Conley said in a statement that the president received an intravenous dose of Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc’s REGN.O dual antibody and was also taking zinc, vitamin D, famotidine, melatonin and aspirin.
Regeneron’s drug, REGN-COV2, is part of a class of experimental COVID-19 drugs known as monoclonal antibodies: manufactured copies of human antibodies to the virus that are being studied for use in patients with early illness.
Antibodies are proteins made by the body’s immune system that recognize, bind and neutralize an invading virus. Regeneron’s cocktail – which contains an antibody made by the company and a second isolated from humans who recovered from COVID-19 – is designed so that its two antibodies bind to the coronavirus’ spike protein, limiting the ability of viruses to escape.
The technique is already in wide use for treating a range of illnesses. Data so far is limited for COVID-19 antibodies, but U.S. infectious disease chief Dr. Anthony Fauci is among those saying it has promise.
Regeneron this week reported trial results showing that its drug improved symptoms in non-hospitalized COVID-19 patients, with no serious side effects, and said it planned to talk with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) about an emergency use authorization.
Shares of Regeneron rose about 3% in after hours trade, following the announcement that Trump was given the drug.
Trump is also taking the heartburn drug famotidine – often sold in the U.S. under the brand name Pepcid. Although the drug has not been shown to work against coronavirus, researchers are studying it as a possible treatment.
Reporting by Diane Bartz; Additional reporting by Deena Beasley and Michael Erman; Editing by Jonathan Oatis and Daniel Wallis