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President injected with antibody cocktail not yet approved by FDA

President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference in the James Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — After testing positive for the coronavirus, President Donald Trump was given an antibody cocktail that’s not been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in hopes of clearing his infection. 

New York-based biopharmaceutical company Regeneron developed the drug. In a statement obtained by News 8, Dr. Sean P. Conley, physician to the president, the intravenous drug known as REGN-COV2l was administered “as a precautionary measure.” 

The drug is still in experimental stages, but researchers from the firm say the drug has been successful in attaching and neutralizing the coronavirus.

“After months of incredibly hard work by our talented team, we are extremely gratified to see that Regeneron’s antibody cocktail, REGN-COV2, rapidly reduced viral load and associated symptoms in infected COVID-19 patients,” George D. Yancopoulos, M.D., Ph.D., President and Chief Scientific Officer of Regeneron said in a statement. “The greatest treatment benefit was in patients who had not mounted their own effective immune response, suggesting that REGN-COV2 could provide a therapeutic substitute for the naturally-occurring immune response.”

The president’s 8-gram dose is the same dose scientists have been using in their clinical trials. Over 2,000 participants have been enrolled in Regeneron’s experimental studies to date. No adverse events have been reported. 

News 8’s medical reporter, Dr. Mary Elizabeth Gillis, D.Ed., is a classically trained medical physiologist and biobehavioral research scientist. She has been a health, medical and science reporter for over 5 years. Her work has been featured in national media outlets. You can follow her on Instagram @reportergillis and Facebook @DrMaryGillis.