MEMPHIS, Tenn. — As President Trump is being hospitalized with COVID-19, the drug being used to treat him is going through trials right here in Memphis.
It’s called “Regeneron,” and it’s being called an “antibody cocktail” that both prevents patients from catching the virus, while also helping them fight it off if it does enter their body.
The company’s website says that after months of work and tests, early results show Regeneron reducing the transmission of COVID, while also alleviating symptoms.
Right now, it’s not FDA approved. The company is going through trials to make sure it’s completely safe before it’s accessible to the public.
But local health officials have been encouraged by early results. Doctors explained what they’re looking for before the treatment can be considered a guaranteed success.
“The goal is to lessen the severity of the disease, the duration of the disease, and maybe if it works really well, to prevent the infection from becoming a pathological infection in a patient that has been exposed,” said Dr. Amber Thacker with the University Tennessee Health Science Center.
It’s no accident that a potentially historically important drug is being developed and going through trials at UTHSC and Regional One.
“A company who could go to any other sites they so chose selected the University and Regional One, which I think really underscores the confidence with what we bring to the table,” said Dr. John Jefferies with the University of Tennessee Methodist Hospital.
While there have only been 275 participants in studies to this point, doctors are encouraged by early results.
“We really don’t know what the consequences are long-term. So, any treatment that shortens duration and shortens the severity of that is going to have an impact,” Thacker said.
For now, this antibody cocktail is only cleared for emergency use and trial treatments. As the experimental stages continue, experts are looking for potentially dangerous side effects and long-term viability.
“We just want to know it’s safe. The outcome data will come as we follow patients, but what we care about first is that we do no harm,” Jefferies said.
There is no timetable for when Regeneron might be widely available.