The Food and Drug Administration has authorized the emergency use of the antibody drug taken by President Trump when he was diagnosed with COVID-19.
The Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. drug was approved by health officials on Saturday to help try and prevent increased hospitalizations and worsened illness in patients having mild-to-moderate symptoms, according to the Associated Press.
The drug is given to a patient as a one-time treatment through an IV. It will allow usage for adults and children over 12 who weigh at least 88 pounds and are at high risk of severe illness from the coronavirus due to age or underlying medical factors.
Initial doses will be made available to roughly 300,000 patients through a federal government allocation program. Patients receiving the Regeneron drug will not be charged for the drug but may have to pay part of the cost of giving the IV.
The drug combines two concentrated antibodies or proteins the body makes to help target and fend off viruses. A single-antibody drug from Eli Lilly, which is still being studied, was also given FDA emergency use authorization earlier this month.
Last month, Trump said he wanted to get the Regeneron drug out to the public for free after his positive experience with its treatment.
“It was, like, unbelievable. I felt good immediately,” Trump said about the drug in October, adding that he aimed to get an EUA approved for Regeneron and Eli Lilly.
The coronavirus pandemic has infected more than 12 million people in the United States and killed over 255,000.
The news comes after Pfizer and BioNTech made a similar request for an EUA to the FDA. Last week, the companies announced their vaccine candidate to be 95% effective in preventing the coronavirus.
A top official working on the Trump administration’s Operation Warp Speed said the first people in the U.S. could get vaccinated as soon as next month.
