The medicine is a monoclonal antibody preparation “REGN COV2”.
This drug is very expensive. More than EUR 200 000 has been earmarked for its purchase to provide it to around 100 severely ill patients. The medicine would not be used as a common treatment of the infection, it would be prescribed by doctors only for special cases when there is a high risk to life or serious side effects of the illness. The new medicinal products are currently being evaluated in an accelerated manner by the European Medicines Agency.
There are currently no specific medicines to treat Covid-19. In intensive treatment, patients shall be connected to an artificial lung venting unit, and Covid departments use oxygen therapy and medicine to reduce high fever.
"The variety of registered medicines that we have right now is really poor. One specific registered drug [Remdesivir] for the treatment of Covid infection," said Inese Kaupere, director of the Pharmaceutical Department of the Ministry of Health.
“No new drugs have come in for a year. Covid treatment is currently limited, still, only individual medicines or certain medicines are used to relieve Covid's symptoms. There are currently no new approved medicines for the treatment of Covid,” said Monta Madelāne, head of the Riga East Clinical University Hospital's Department for Dangerous Infections.
Therefore, Latvian medics are awaiting the decision of the European Medicines Agency, while recalling that the safest option is still to get vaccinated against Covid-19.
