The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has decided to conditionally allow administration of "antibody cocktail therapy" for mildly ill patients with the new coronavirus for the purpose of preventing its onset.
Antibody cocktail therapy, in which two types of antibodies are administered by intravenous drip at the same time, was approved in July for patients with mild to moderate disease and at risk of becoming severe.
Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., which has marketing rights in Japan, has confirmed the effect of reducing the risk of developing infection by 81% as a result of administration to close contacts in the patient's home in overseas clinical trials, and aims to prevent the onset. I applied for an additional application to allow administration in.
Regarding this, the expert group of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare held on the night of the 4th approved the approval on the condition that the person to be administered should be a family member who has close contact with the patient or an asymptomatic patient, and in principle there is a risk of aggravation. ..
However, infectious diseases are basically prevented with a vaccine, and the target of administration is limited to those who are considered to be inadequately effective with the vaccine.
It was also approved to administer by subcutaneous injection, which takes less time than infusion.
The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has decided to officially approve it on the 5th, and it is the first time in Japan that a drug for the new coronavirus will be approved for the purpose of preventing the onset.