COVID-19 treatment information

Monoclonal antibody is a COVID treatment, given by infusion or injection, that works like your immune system to fight off infection by blocking the ability of COVID to enter human cells. The goal of this treatment is to prevent people at high risk of severe COVID from becoming sick enough that they need to be hospitalized.

This medication is investigational, and is not currently FDA approved, however, it is authorized for emergency use by the FDA.  This means that based on preliminary data, it is considered a reasonable treatment option for high risk patients with COVID in the first 10 days of their illness with the understanding that studies are ongoing into how well the medication works and how well it is tolerated. There are no other FDA authorized treatments for COVID-19 in the outpatient setting except for monoclonal antibody treatment. 

To receive this medication, a person meet the following criteria:

• Be 18 years of age or older, AND
• In the outpatient setting, AND
• Have onset of symptoms must be less than 10 days prior to treatment, AND
• Have positive COVID viral diagnostic test (not an antibody test), AND
• Meet high risk criteria which includes:
  • Age >/=65, OR
  • Obesity, OR
  • Chronic kidney or liver disease, OR
  • Diabetes, OR
  • Weakened Immune system, OR
  • Heart disease (including high blood pressure, congestive heart failure, and congenital heart disease), OR 
  • Lung disease (e.g., COPD, moderate-severe asthma, interstitial lung disease, pulmonary Hypertension, cystic fibrosis, etc.), OR 
  • Neurologic or neurodevelopmental disorder (e.g., Stroke, cerebral palsy, downs syndrome) 
  • Sickle cell disease, OR 
  • Need for a medical device such as tracheostomy or  gastrostomy, OR 
  • Other medical conditions that may increase risk for progression to severe COVID-19 (e.g., race/ethnicity, substance abuse, pregnancy, complex medical condition) 

Talk with your health care provider about treatments that are right for you, including if you have other medical conditions not listed above.   

The most common reported side effects with monoclonal antibody therapies for COVID-19 are nausea, diarrhea, dizziness, headache, itchiness, and vomiting. The side effects of getting any medicine by vein may include brief pain, bleeding, bruising of the skin, soreness, swelling, and possible infection at the infusion site or injection site.

In clinical trials of monoclonal antibodies involving nearly 3,000 people, severe hypersensitivity reactions, including anaphylaxis, were reported. These reactions were very rare and all reactions were treated successfully and resolved. As clinical studies are ongoing, it is possible that all risks are not yet known. 

Because these treatments are antibody treatments, they may affect the body’s immune response to future COVID-19 infections or COVID-19 vaccine. COVID-19 vaccine must be delayed 90 days from monoclonal antibody infusion.

If you have received one or two shots of COVID-19 vaccine, you are still eligible for treatment. For patients that have only received one shot of an mRNA vaccine, the second shot should be delayed by 90 days from monoclonal antibody infusion. The vaccine series does not need to be restarted. 

Please call your primary care physician to be assessed for referral as soon as possible if you think you qualify as this treatment must be given within 10 days of symptom onset.

Monoclonal antibody medication is provided by the federal government at no charge to patients, at this time.

COVID-19 Vaccine must be delayed 90 days from monoclonal antibody infusion.