Mohabbat Singh, an 84-year-old man from Haryana has become the first person in India to receive the Covid drug cocktail. He was administered the dose at Gurugram’s Medanta Hospital was on Tuesday.
He was under treatment for the last five days at the hospital.
The cocktail was came into limelight after it was administered to then US President Donald Trump last year.
The cocktail of two fast acting antibodies-Casirivimab and Imdevimab is seen as a cutting-edge treatment in Covid-19 treatment. However, this dose has to be administered to Covid-19 patients with mild and moderate symptoms before their condition deteriorates and they require hospitalization.
The first batch of the Roche antibody cocktail drug arrived in the country on Monday, according to an official announcement by Roche India and Cipla Limited.
“If these antibodies are injected into a patient infected with the Covid-19 virus at an early stage when the virus is trying to multiply then it blocks the virus from entering the cells of the patient from where it derives nutrition to multiply. So by blocking the virus they are stopping the multiplication of the virus and finally the virus spikes. It is one of the blocking mechanisms that is working against the Covid-19 virus,” Doctor Naresh Trehan, Chairman and MD of Medanta hospital told ANI.
Dr Tehran further said that the antibodies are also effective against the new variant B.1.617.2 and this has been verified in laboratories as well.
It is advised that antibody cocktail therapy should not be given to those are hospitalized due to severe Covid-19, or those who require oxygen therapy due to Covid-19 or who require an increase in baseline oxygen flow rate due to Covid-19.
This therapy has been approved by FDA. It has demonstrated good efficacy in Phase 1/2 and Phase 3 studies by reducing Covid-19 related hospitalization and death by 70 per cent. Approved by the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI), this single dose infusion-based treatment can be provided on an outpatient or daycare basis and marks a dramatic shift in Covid-19 care in India.
ALSO READ | Everything You Need To Know About Covid Antibody Cocktail Launched In India By Cipla
“We are glad to now have access to Monoclonal Antibody Therapy in India. This fast and effective treatment for COVID -19 will save patients at the highest risk from falling critically ill, getting hospitalized or possibly dying of complications from Covid-19. We look forward to serving our patients with this therapy and saving more lives,” said Dr Naresh Trehan.
Antibody Cocktail is known to block the reproduction of spiked proteins, said Medanta chairman and managing director Dr Naresh Trehan.
“It gives a lot of hope to people who may require hospitalisation; Protect yourself but unfortunately you if get Covid, there is relief available from Wednesday onwards”: Medanta CMD Dr. Naresh Trehan on new Covid antibody cocktail drug. #5iveLive #CovidDrug #SecondWave pic.twitter.com/usOPZCyjsJ
— IndiaToday (@IndiaToday) May 24, 2021
“The efficacy [of Antibody Cocktail] is 70 per cent. This means 70 per cent of people who would otherwise need to go to hospital will not need hospitalisation. It will also reduce the death rate,” said Dr Trehan.