South Florida Sun-Sentinel Palm Beach (Sunday)
Regeneron antibody treatment available
Twenty-one Regeneron clinics popped up in Florida over the last few weeks offering a free, life-saving treatment to people with
COVID.
The treatment, known as monoclonal antibodies, if taken immediately after
COVID symptoms surface, can stop the virus from worsening. So far, more than 45,000 Floridians have received Regeneron at the clinics.
Until these pop-ups opened, hospitals across the state had
been giving Regeneron as an early treatment, but only with a doctor’s referral. Now, anyone at high risk with COVID symptoms or newly exposed can get the therapy without a doctor’s notice at the state’s pop-up clinics, because the Florida Surgeon General issued an order waiving the referral requirement.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has been crisscrossing the state, touting the benefits of Regeneron as a tool to curb the virulent delta surge that has taken the lives of about 300 people a day for the last week.
“This is a treatment that had been available but underutilized,” DeSantis said on Thursday. “We saw a need to allow easier access to monoclonal antibodies, and from what we have seen, this is working. It saves lives. There’s no question about it.”
The caveat, however, is anyone getting the treatment at these sites will not be under the supervision of a doctor to provide monitoring or oversight. The medical professionals at pop-up clinics are nurses and technicians.
What exactly is Regeneron?
Regeneron’s treatment, called REGN-COV2, is a combination of two types of monoclonal antibodies. Monoclonal antibodies work by targeting the coronavirus spike protein, blocking the virus from entering your body’s cells, and stopping the infection from spreading.
If you already are sick, the monoclonal antibodies prevent your symptoms from worsening. If you have been exposed, monoclonal antibodies can fend off the virus to help keep you from getting sick.
Should I get it to prevent COVID?
Doctors, like Samer Fahmy at Boca Raton Regional Hospital, want to make it clear: Regeneron is a drug therapy you get when you have COVID to reduce your chances of getting hospitalized or dying. COVID vaccines are the only tool for reducing the risk of getting the virus. “REGEN-COV is treatment; vaccination is prevention,” Fahmy said.
Monoclonal antibodies are effective only for about a month, he notes, while a vaccine still offers significant protection for much longer. “It is not a replacement for a vaccine.”
If you have COVID and get Regeneron, you will need to wait 90 days to get a vaccine, even if you still need a second dose.
“When we use this treatment wisely on the appropriate patients, it’s a game-changer. It saves hospital admissions. It saves lives.”Dr. Warren Sturman, a Fort Lauderdale doctor affiliated with Broward Health
Initially, the Food and Drug Administration authorized the monoclonal antibody treatment as an IV infusion. It is still given that way at most hospital outpatient centers and urgent cares and takes about 30 minutes to an hour with an additional hour of observation required. At the staterun clinics, the treatment is given in a roughly five-minute span as four different shots: two to each arm or thigh and two to the upper stomach. The same dosage is used, regardless of the way it is administered (shots or IV).
Doctors say monoclonal antibodies take about 24 hours to kick in.
When should you get Regeneron?
If you are unvaccinated and exposed to coronavirus, or if you’re high-risk, exposed, and fully vaccinated, you may qualify for monoclonal antibodies.
This is how the Food and Drug Administration defines high risk:
Elderly (50 and older) Overweight (BMI of 25 or higher)
Compromised immune system
Diabetes
Problems with heart, lungs, kidneys
Children 12 and older at high risk can get Regeneron, but they must weigh more than 88 pounds.
If you decide you want Regeneron, timing is critical.
You will need to show proof of COVID, so you want to get tested as soon as you notice any possible symptoms.
Trials have shown the therapy is most effective within the first four to five days of symptoms.
“Your symptoms should be mild to moderate,” said Dr. Warren Sturman, a Fort Lauderdale doctor affiliated with Broward Health. “If you are sick enough to be admitted to the hospital, or if you need supplemental oxygen, you can’t get monoclonal antibodies.”
Sturman said he has been giving the treatment to patients with COVID for more than six months. “When we use this treatment wisely on the appropriate patients, it ’s a game-changer,” he said. “It saves hospital admissions. It saves lives.”
Does Regeneron cure COVID?
There is no known cure for COVID. Regeneron is a treatment to stop COVID from making you extremely sick or killing you.
A Mayo Clinic study of about 700 patients treated from December 2020 to April 2021 found an early infusion of monoclonal antibodies reduced hospitalization risk by about 62%.
Gov. DeSantis has brought many Floridians to recent news briefings to say the treatment had worked to lessen their symptoms.
In West Palm Beach on Thursday, Lauren Warren said she was diagnosed with COVID on July 28. “I was shocked. I am one of the most careful people and I am fully vaccinated as of February,” she said. Warren said she has allergy-induced asthma and was having difficulty breathing. She got the monoclonal antibodies treatment at Cleveland Clinic in Stuart, not at one of the state-sponsored clinics.
“COVID is a smart virus and knows where your weaknesses are,” she said. “I am here today and thankful the information is out there about this treatment. If you haven’t experienced COVID, it is not a fun thing to go through and it’s nice to have this option.”
Brit Noel of Wellington contracted COVID within his household and started to experience symptoms: body aches, fever, chills. A doctor recommended he get monoclonal antibodies and he did so intravenously at a free-standing emergency room in Palm Beach County.
“Most of my symptoms were completely gone 36 to 48 hours after the treatment,” he said.
Back in late 2020, Donald Trump put Regeneron on the public’s radar when he announced the drug had cured him of COVID.
Where do I go and what does it cost?
The federal government bought all doses of Regeneron’s monoclonal antibodies and is making the treatment free to anyone who qualifies. Your insurance, however, may be charged for the cost of giving the treatment.
Florida now has 21 state-sponsored sites, with each serving about 320 people a day. You can walk in between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. or make an appointment in advance at patientportalfl. com.
Because some of the sites offer multiple services, including testing and vaccine services, make sure you are in the Regeneron clinic.
Are there side effects?
Most drug therapies have side effects. The most common side effects of the Regeneron treatment were injection site reactions such as hives, itching, and skin reddening or blotching. Other reported side effects include fever, chills and headache.
“We are treating a large number of COVID patients six days a week in our Emergency Department with REGEN-COV, “said Fahmy at Boca Raton Regional. “So far we are seeing it’s well-tolerated and has the potential to prevent symptoms from getting worse. The feedback we are getting is people feel better within 12 to 28 hours.”
Sun Sentinel health reporter Cindy Goodman can be reached at cgoodman@sunsentinel.com