Donald Trump is now praising the new monoclonal antibody Covid therapies to the sky, demanding quick authorization. He thinks this will be different than hydroxychloroquine, injected bleach, UV lights up the butt, the miracle of April,… At Dkos and other Democratic circles, the first reaction is likely to be understandable bitter skepticism. The thing is, though, that this time the fucker is probably right. We should rejoice in the availability of these therapies, demand that he come through on the promise to make them free, and demand that he use the Defense Production Act to speed production.
Why do I say that about therapies that have only been through a little direct testing? There are several reasons.
First, antibody therapy is well-established as a technique for fighting viruses.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41541-017-0019-3
The reason it works is no mystery. The antibodies glom onto the virus particles just like your own natural antibodies do. They work the same way. These therapies have a good safety record. There is no particular reason to think that Covid versions would be different.
Second, the Regeneron therapy has produced what appears to be excellent initial results, just as would be expected. Viral concentrations are reduced by about a factor of 4.
https://www.statnews.com/2020/09/29/regenerons-covid-19-antibody-may-help-non-hospitalized-patients-recover-faster-early-data-show/
Perhaps most important, the effect is biggest and most consistent in patients with few of their own antibodies and with the highest viral loads, again as you would expect. In other words, it helps precisely the people most in need of help. (BTW, it was developed using tissue from abortions,
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2020/10/7/1984637/-Trump-s-Regeneron-Treatment-Developed-Using-Abortion-Tissue.)
The version from Lilly has also produced excellent preliminary results, with major reductions in viral load and even an 85% reduction in progression to serious disease, although that 85% estimate is based on a small number of cases and thus is a rough estimate. https://investor.lilly.com/news-releases/news-release-details/lilly-provides-comprehensive-update-progress-sars-cov-2
Could these companies be flat-out lying? Yeah, anything is possible, but given the background knowledge about this treatment method and what they ultimately have at stake, I doubt it.
For some time I’ve been predicting that such antibody therapies would be the first serious breakthrough in treatment, and available before widespread vaccine availability. It looks like that is exactly how it has played out. We should celebrate, and demand more, sooner, and for free.