Regeneron: Preventing Infection Among Households

Regeneron: A Phase 3, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study Assessing the Efficacy and Safety of Anti-Spike SARS-CoV-2 Monoclonal Antibodies in Preventing SARS-Cov-2 Infection in Household Contacts of Individuals Infected with SARS-CoV-2

In this multisite trial, researchers are working to determine if monoclonal antibodies made by the drug company Regeneron Pharmaceuticals can prevent COVID-19 infection among people who have been exposed by someone in their household, but have not yet developed the disease. The trial is testing the same antibody cocktail given to President Donald Trump when he was hospitalized with COVID-19, though with a different use.

In this case, the antibodies are intended to prevent people from getting sick if they have a household member with COVID, Enfield said. So far, UVA has done a good job with recruitment, which is particularly tricky in this case as you have to find people who have been exposed to COVID in their household, but who do not yet have COVID.

UVA is recruiting 40 participants for the study, each of whom will receive four injections of either the antibodies or a placebo. Participants must have been exposed to COVID-19 by someone in their household within the previous 96 hours and continue to live with that person for a month.

Its been a rapid process, and a testament to the multidisciplinary team involved, from infectious disease clinicians and researchers to cell therapy, pulmonary critical care and several other departments, Sturek said. Its been all-hands-on-deck.

As results from these and other clinical trials continue to come in, Sturek also expressed hope that we will see widespread and effective vaccine distribution sooner, rather than later.

There is a lot on the horizon, from news around vaccines to getting the first wave of vaccines to high-risk people like health care workers, he said. Every day we learn something new, and its important to stay humble, to be able to adapt and change on the fly.

Fighting this pandemic has been a huge, multidisciplinary effort, and so many people joined in to help contribute and bring new treatments to our patients, and bring new research to the field. That doesnt get done without a huge team of nurses, clinical research coordinators, pharmacists, respiratory therapists and many, many others. It is impossible to overstate the importance of all of that teamwork.

Link:
Research That Saves Lives: Four COVID-19 Therapies Being Tested at UVA - University of Virginia