Roche's Covid antibody cocktail available at Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals

Roche India's Antibody Cocktail (Casirivimab and Imdevimab) is now available as a therapy to treat patients with mild and moderate Covid-19 infection at the Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals in Delhi, the hospital said in a statement on Friday.

The antibody cocktail is administered intravenously and will be administered in a specific area with well-trained healthcare staff taking into account all infection control protocols, it said, adding that cocktail must ideally be administered within 48 to 72 hours of a patient testing positive for Covid-19 and before 7 days.

"This treatment has been shown to reduce the risk of hospitalization and fatality rate by 70 per cent and 71 per cent respectively and shortening the duration of symptoms by four days," it claimed.

The Antibody Cocktail, distributed by Cipla Ltd, was launched on May 24 this year in the country. The first patient to receive the Antibody Cocktail at Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, Delhi was a 65-year-old COVID patient.

"The patient responded well to the infusion of the Antibody Cocktail and went home after one hour of observation," the statement said.

Dr Anupam Sibal, Group Medical Director, Apollo Hospitals Group and Sr Consultant, Paediatric Gastroenterology Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals said that this advanced treatment is comprised of neutralizing monoclonal antibodies for patients with COVID-19.

"Monoclonal antibodies bind to and 'neutralize' the SARS-CoV-2 virus. We are confident that this treatment option will significantly boost our efforts to bring the pandemic under control and will help prevent progression of the disease in those with mild to moderate COVID-19," he said.

According to Dr Rajesh Chawla, Senior Pulmonologist, the reason this therapy is termed an Anti-body Cocktail is because it comprises of a mixture of more than two biological drugs (Casirivimab and Imdevimab) that mirror human antibodies in the immune system, which consequently help fight the infection, similar to the natural antibodies produced when one gets infected with COVID.

"Both these antibodies also strengthen the immune defence system. This drug is said to restrict pathogens and virus from entering the patient's body, from where they otherwise would have derived nutrition and multiplied. This anti body cocktail will help prevent progression of the disease to a severe stage," he said.

As per the statement, the antibody cocktail can be administered for the treatment of mild to moderate COVID-19 in adults and pediatric COVID-19 patients and who are at high risk of developing severe COVID-19 disease and/or hospitalization with at least one of the following criteria - Obese with Body mass index less than 35, Chronic kidney disease, Diabetes mellitus, Immunocompromising condition, Currently receiving immunosuppressive treatment, aged over 65 years, or are aged above 55 and have CAD Cardiovascular disease, HT Hypertension, COPD (Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) or some other chronic respiratory disease like ILD.

In the first batch, 100,000 packs are now available in India potentially benefiting 200,000 patients, as each pack is used for two patients.