Haryana man, 84, first Indian to get Trump cocktail

NEW DELHI: Mohabbat Singh, 84, from Haryana has become the first person in India to be administered the “famous” Covid drug cocktail given to former US president Donald Trump. Singh, who has been under treatment for the past five days, was given the drug over 30-minute intravenous supply on Tuesday at Medanta, Gurugram.
The drug, Regeneron, is touted as a breakthrough treatment for certain patients as it shortens symptom duration and reduces viral load by fast acting antibodies.
The first batch of the Roche drug with two antibodies — Casirivimab and Imdevimab — reached India on Monday. “This drug is different from convalescent plasma and entirely different from repurposed drugs like Remdesivir or Tocilizumab. Studies show that 80% of patients who took this drug didn’t need hospitalisation, and it also reduced death rate in addition to shortening the duration of symptoms,” Dr Naresh Trehan, director, Medanta, told TOI.
The monoclonal antibody cocktail was used to treat Trump when he tested positive last year. Within a week he was back at work. Cipla is marketing the drug in hospitals at an estimated price of Rs 59,000 per dose. Only one dose is needed.
“The antibodies built in a patient after this drug would last only three-four weeks even though it would have done its job to contain the virus,” Trehan cautioned.
Normal antibodies in any Covid patient develop only after 14 days of contracting the infection. But in this drug the lab-made antibodies work instantly.
“The only condition imposed by the government is that it should be used in patients above 65 with comorbidities and immunocompromised. Even those above 55 with cardiac problems can be given this drug,” said Dr Sushila Kataria, director, internal medicine, Medanta.