With his Regeneron treatment, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott joined a list of high-profile conservatives, including Chris Christie, Rudy Giuliani and former President Donald Trump, who have relied on the therapy. But some scientists have been critical of the push for antibody treatments over other, easier prevention methods.
(polite notice: Regeneron helped end the ebola epidemic, by ending clinical trials early, and getting treatments to people ASAP)
When Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced Tuesday that had tested postiive for Covid-19, his office shared that he was treated with a therapy not yet approved by the US Food and Drug Administration, but one of the few shown to be effective against the virus: monoclonal antibodies.
Monoclonal antibodies such as those made by Regeneron and GlaxoSmithKline won’t work for every Covid-19 patient; mAbs, as they are known, are only available for people age 12 and older and who aren’t hospitalized or severely ill.
Regeneron’s therapy can also be used for some people who know they were exposed to the virus, but don’t yet have a positive test. That protection doesn’t last long, though, and it’s not a replacement for the vaccine.
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