The US Food and Drug Administration on November 21, 2020, authorised the use of medication to fight Covid-19. It is the same drug that was used to treat US President Donald Trump when he was attacked with the virus in October. The drug controller said that the medication can be used under the ‘medical emergency’ conditions or in the case of ‘moderate conditions’.
According to the FDA, the drug can be injected on those adults who weigh more than 40kg. According to the statement published in the Associated Press, the drug may reduce Covid-19-related hospitalisation or emergency room visits in patients with high risk for disease progression.
It said that the drug would initially be injected on over 3,00,000 patients, after which a nominal charge will be borne by the patients. Initial supplies will likely be vastly outstripped by demand as the US has surged past 12 million reported cases. Health experts say that it will be a dark winter due to uncontrolled spread of the virus, read the statement released by the FDA.
Antibodies are proteins that the body makes to target and help eliminate viruses, but it can take weeks for the best ones to form after the infection occurs. Drugs are concentrated versions of ones that proved the best and in theory, help the body start to fight the virus right away, reports AP.