What Is Regeneron, The Antibody Cocktail Used To Treat Trump's COVID?
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- President Donald Trump returned to the Oval Office Wednesday, just days after more than 15 members of his staff tested positive.
To protect those around him, an "isolation cart" stocked with medical gowns, masks, and goggles is just outside the doors to his office.
Trump says he's feeling great and ready to hold campaign rallies.
One of the drugs doctors gave the President was Regeneron. It's an experimental antibody cocktail.
"I went and I wasn't feeling so hot. And within a very short period of time, they gave me Regeneron," Trump said in a video message on Twitter.
The Regeneron antibody cocktail is getting a lot of buzz after Trump got special permission from the drug maker and FDA to use it.
"They gave me Regeneron and it was like, unbelievable. I felt good immediately," he said. "It just made me better. OK, I call that a cure."
WCCO asked Dr. Raymund Razonable, who is part of the Mayo Clinic team participating in the Regeneron clinical trials right now, if he thinks its fair to call it a cure.
"Well not yet because it's under clinical trials. We don't know whether it will work or not," Razonable said. "Just note that the president did receive several treatments."
So what is Regeneron?
"It's an artificial immunity given to patients prior to them developing their own immune response," Razonable said.
He says it will be several months before the antibody cocktail will be ready for prime time, if at all.
"I want to get for you what I got, and I'm going to make it free," Trump claimed on Twitter.
According to one analysis, it would cost the average American over $100,000 for the treatment, but without FDA approval Razonable says the company making it could put a price on it,
And even if you were willing to pay tomorrow, you couldn't get it. You'd need to enroll in the trial, which is only for current COVID-19 patients. And even then you could get a placebo.
Razonable's advice is to not fall for the hype, and wait for the science.
The antibody cocktail needs to be given within 10 days of your first symptoms.
Researchers are looking into possible use for people who were potentially exposed to the virus as well, such as family members of patients. The doctor said if there's a vaccine there would be no need for this antibody cocktail as well.