U.S. Government Buys 1.25 Million Antibody Cocktail Doses

New York-based Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Defense would purchase an additional supply of the casirivimab and imdevimab antibody cocktail for use in non-hospitalized COVID-19 patients. The government stated it would provide these antibody doses at no cost to patients, though healthcare facilities may charge administration fees.

This new agreement covers 1.25 million additional doses of the casirivimab and imdevimab antibody cocktail, to be delivered by June 30, 2021, bringing the total potential U.S. supply to over 1.5 million doses, as of January 12th.

"Patients in our antibody cocktail outpatient clinical trial experienced significant reductions in virus levels and required fewer medical visits for COVID-19, suggesting the therapy can help reduce the current burden on hospitals and healthcare systems," stated George D. Yancopoulos, M.D., Ph.D., President and Chief Scientific Officer of Regeneron, in a press release.

"Additionally, as expected, the virus continues to mutate, with the possibility of developing resistance to any one antibody. The Regeneron cocktail of two antibodies, each targeting a different site on the virus, reduces the possibility of the virus becoming resistant."