Monoclonal Antibodies: How to Get Them, Plus a New Version

Regeneron/Ronapreve

Call 211 (in the US)

I've heard anecdotes from people who had a hard time getting an appointment for monoclonal antibodies. A city councilor here in Indianapolis recently had to be persistent and get a friend's doctor to intervene to get an appointment an hour's drive away. The news station he talked to advises readers to call 211 (in the US) to find the nearest facility that can treat you. If you're in Florida, you can just go to a Regeneron center. In Europe, it's called Ronapreve and different conditions apply for receiving treatment.

Monoclonal antibodies are for COVID-positive patients with mild to moderate symptoms who are at high risk of progression of the illness. They need to be administered within ten days of onset of symptoms. They can also be administered to people who are at high risk of catching COVID. Again--different conditions might apply outside the US.

Efficacy Against Omicron?

Regeneron says its monoclonal antibodies have "diminished potency against Omicron, [but] they are active against Delta, which currently is the most prevalent variant in the US."

Evusheld

Evusheld is a new monoclonal antibody for prevention of COVID in immunocompromised patients or people who have a history of severe adverse reactions to COVID vaccines or their ingredients. The FDA has given it Emergency Use Authorization. Note that there were significantly higher rates of cardiovascular adverse events (e.g., heart attacks and heart failure) compared to placebo in the clinical trial. It has efficacy against the Omicron variant (see this also).

Contact your health care provider for more information.

Photo from Pexels.

Comments

Dana Carpender's Podcast; Dr. Davis on YouTube; Labor Day Sales

Dana Carpender, who's written several recipe books and other works on low-carb, has a podcast and is still writing articles at carbsmart.com. She's a terrific writer and amateur researcher (otherwise known as reading , as Jimmy Dore jokes ). I use her book 500 Low-Carb Recipes all the time and I'm looking forward to hearing more from her. I've embedded her podcast on my blog (click on the three lines at the top right if you don't see it, or go to Spotify or other podcast source if you're getting this by email). Carbsmart.com doesn't seem to have a blog feed, so if you want to see the latest posts there, you can sign up for notifications at their site. Dr. Davis has been putting a lot more videos on YouTube, so I've added his channel to the lineup. Click on the three lines on my blog if you don't see it, or go to his channel here . * * * * * Primal Kitchen is having a Labor Day sale-- 20% off everything. They sell high quality collagen powder, con...

Lousy Mood? It Could be the Food

Here's a funny AMV(1) on what it's like to be depressed, apathetic and overly sensitive. Note: explicit (but funny) lyrics in the video. Hearing this song brought a startling realization: I used to be emo, but with normal clothes. Sulking, sobbing and writing poetry were my hobbies. When I was a kid, my mother said that she wouldn't know what to do to punish me if I had done something wrong. And yet things got worse. Over a two-week period in 1996, my best friend moved away, I lost my job and broke up with my boyfriend. I lost my appetite and lived on a daily bagel, cream cheese and a Coke for the next few months. I had tried counseling, and didn't find it helpful; in fact, I found reviving painful memories was pointless. Not thinking about them, on the other hand, worked wonders. Later on, so did studying philosophy and learning to think through emotions instead of just riding through them. But what's blown away all the techniques is diet. Since I s...

Carrageenan: A Sickening Thickener. Is it a Migraine Menace?

Let me tell you about my ride in an ambulance last night. I woke up at six o'clock from a nap with a mild headache. I ate dinner and took my vitamins, along with a couple of extra magnesium pills. Since magnesium helps my TMJ flare-ups, I thought it might help my headache. Then I went to see my mother. A few hours later, I had a severe headache, sinus pain and nausea. During a brief respite from the pain, I left for home, but less than a mile later, I got out of my car and threw up. A cop, Officer Fisher, pulled up behind me and asked if I was okay. He believed me when he said I hadn't been drinking, but he said I seemed lethargic and he wanted the paramedics to see me. (Later he mentioned that a man he'd recently stopped was having a stroke.) Thinking I had a migraine headache, the paramedics wanted to take me to the hospital. But since I knew that doctors don't know what causes migraine headaches, and I didn't know what effect their medicine would have on m...

Pain, Pain, Go Away!

Search This Blog