Kaiser and Maui Health partner to expand access to monoclonal antibody treatments
Despite high demand for monoclonal antibody treatments and a shortage of the drugs, Maui health care providers have been able to expand access to the treatment and will offer it daily at Kaiser Permanente’s Maui Lani Medical Office.
The new treatment center opened Wednesday and will operate from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. seven days a week as part of a partnership between Kaiser and Maui Health, which will provide nurses sent by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Monoclonal antibody treatment is a form of immunotherapy to fight viral infections, according to a news release from the two health care providers.
The Associated Press reported this week that the federal government has capped Hawaii’s weekly allocation of monoclonal antibody treatments for COVID-19 at 680 due to a shortage of the drugs. The state must wait and see whether it can get more supply in the coming weeks, the AP reported.
Monoclonal antibodies are laboratory-made proteins that mimic the immune system’s ability to fight off harmful pathogens, such as viruses like COVID-19, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which authorized emergency use of the treatment earlier this year in hopes of helping patients most at risk for severe forms of COVID-19.
Kaiser and Maui Health pointed out that the treatment has been shown to reduce the risk of severe illness and hospitalization from COVID-19 by as much as 70 percent. It’s considered highly effective for patients who are early in their COVID-positive diagnosis. Patients need to be within 10 days of onset of mild to moderate symptoms and at high risk for progressing to severe symptoms and/or hospitalization. Some of these risk factors include body mass index greater than 25, chronic kidney disease, di abe tes,im mu no co mo promised disorders and other chronic health conditions.
Physician referral is recommended to expedite an appointment, but patients can self-refer and be assessed onsite. For a complete list of qualified risk factors and criteria, visit mauihealth.org /mab. To schedule an appointment, call (808) 6002785 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday.