Cocktail of antibodies can cut COVID-19 viral load
Randomised controlled trial: Subjects are randomly assigned to a test group, which receives the treatment, or a control group, which commonly receives a placebo. In 'blind' trials, participants do not know which group they are in; in ‘double blind’ trials, the experimenters do not know either. Blinding trials helps removes bias.
People: This is a study based on research using people.
A study carried out and funded by pharmaceutical company Regeneron tested the firm's cocktail of antibodies known as REGN-COV2 on 275 COVID-19 patients with mild disease, and found administering the cocktail reduced the amount of virus circulating in patients' bodies, or viral load. It was most effective in patients with an initially high viral load, or those whose immune systems had not yet kicked in to produce their own antibodies. The treatment did not cause any additional adverse outcomes compared to a placebo group. Whether the reduction in viral load benefitted patients remains unclear, however, as bigger trials are required to assess the effects.
Journal/conference: NEJM
Link to research (DOI): 10.1056/NEJMoa2035002
Organisation/s: Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, USA
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