Tested positive for Covid-19 on October 1, Donald Trump was hospitalized at Walter Reed military hospital in Bethesda where he received an experimental treatment developed by the American biotechnology company Regeneron. The President of the United States was released from the hospital on Monday, October 5.
Donald Trump’s treatments to fight Covid-19
To fight Covid-19, Donald Trump was administered intravenously, an experimental cocktail developed by the biotechnology company Regeneron. The president first received an antiviral drug for 5 days (remdesivir) before being placed on a corticosteroid used for the most severe cases of Covid-19 (dexamethasone).
These synthetic antibodies make it possible to neutralize the virus as would the immune system. Clinical trials have already shown encouraging preliminary results on a few patients. Donald Trump is the one who would have received the highest dose (eight grams).
Remdesivir
Among Donald Trump’s treatments, he received remdesivir as soon as he was hospitalized for a period of five days. According to Prof. Enrique Casalino, head of the emergency department at Bichat hospital in Paris, remdesivir is “ an antiviral widely used in the United States “. Treatment would prevent the virus from replicating.
The epidemiologist Martin Blachier, specialist in public health explains: “ A large American study has shown that it can significantly reduce the length of hospital stay as well as mortality “. It is mostly used for patients who require oxygen therapy before it gets worse.
Dexamethasone
From Saturday, October 3, Donald Trump was administered dexamethasone, a corticosteroid intended for patients with severe forms of Covid-19. It is a drug from the steroid family which aims to fight the inflammatory reaction and thus prevent the patient’s condition from worsening.
Tested on 275 patients, dexamethasone would have accelerated the recovery of patients according to the company. However, these synthetic antibodies are still in the experimental phase. According to Prof. Enrique Casalino: “ For the moment, the data are very partial, but show some effectiveness. […] Although this is a very interesting approach, we still have no certainty on the effectiveness of the product. “.
Finally, the doctors would also have prescribed Donald Trump, zinc, vitamin D, melatonin and aspirin.
