This Sunday, January 24, 2021, the German Minister of Health, Jens Spahn announced that the country would use the same experimental treatment administered to Donald Trump when he contracted Covid-19 last October. Germany thus becomes the first European country to use this synthetic antibody treatment. Let’s do a check in.
First country in Europe to use this antibody treatment
German Health Minister Jens Spahn said on Sunday January 25, 2021 that Germany would become the first country in the European Union to use the experimental antibody-based treatment administered to Donald Trump to fight Covid- 19. These are synthetic antibodies that mimic the functioning of the immune system after contamination by blocking the tip of the virus that allows it to attach to human cells and penetrate them.
Antibodies as “passive vaccination”
To explain this decision, Jens Spahn recalled that the German drug regulatory authority, the Federal Institute Paul-Ehrlich, ruled that the use of this treatment was “ in principle Allowed. According to him, these synthetic antibodies “ work as a passive vaccination “. Therefore, he said: “ giving these antibodies during the initial stages of infection can help high-risk patients avoid a more serious course “.
200,000 doses purchased by Germany
In total, Germany bought 200,000 doses of these antibody treatments, which represents a cost of 400 million euros as reported by the Minister of Health. Germany has sourced from two American companies, Regeneron for its Casirivimab / Imdevimab and Eli Lilly for its Bamlanivimab, the spokesperson said. Already approved last November in the United States, the two versions of this antibody treatment have not yet been approved by the European regulatory authorities. However, Jens Spahn announced that German university hospitals will be able to use this cocktail of “monoclonal” antibodies from next week.
Treatment delivered free of charge on a case-by-case basis
Regarding the use and the patients concerned, the German Minister of Health clarified that this treatment could be delivered on a case-by-case basis if doctors deem its use appropriate to prevent ” severe illness or hospitalizations among certain risk groups “. The treatment, which represents 2,000 euros per dose, will be delivered free of charge to patients as specified by a spokesperson for the ministry told AFP.
