Dec 16, 2021, 11:34am
The US is racing to curb a surge of cases across the country as the company develops a new treatment against the omicron variant.
A man enters the Regeneron Clinic at a treatment site in Florida. The photo was taken by Chan Khan.
The images are from the same source.
The CEO of Regeneron said during an interview on CNBC that the company has tested a lot of new anti-delta and omicron antibodies.
The company said in a press release that their antibodies have diminished their effectiveness against the omicron variant.
He hopes to start human trials early next year and get FDA approval as soon as possible.
The current cocktail is still effective against the delta variant, which is still the dominant variant in the U.S.
18. The study by Dr. David Ho, a professor of immunology at Columbia University, has not yet been peer-reviewed.
The key background.
The US has seen a rise in covid-19 cases in the past week. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, 70% of hospital beds are occupied, and many have over 80% capacity. The coronaviruses have a spike protein and are targets of Regeneron's treatment. The omicron variant has more than 30 changes.
It is important to approve new treatments quickly. He thinks we need to figure out a way to get this to patients on a large scale before the next variant shows up. We don't want to chase our tail here.
What to watch for.
The World Health Organization said the omicron variant is spreading faster than any other variant. The spread of Omicron is worse in certain regions of the country, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In New York and New Jersey, Omicron cases represent 13% of Covid-19 cases.
The current cocktail loses its power against variant as Regeneron develops antibodies to target omicron.
The WHO recommends a cocktail for high-risk patients.
