Covid-19: Germany authorizes the experimental treatment used on Donald Trump

Minister of Health Jens Spahn in Berlin on January 21, 2021. AP - Michael Kappeler

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Germany will become the first country in the European Union to use the experimental treatment based on synthetic antibodies administered to Donald Trump against Covid-19, Minister of Health Jens Spahn announced on Sunday, January 24.

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The government bought 200,000 doses for 400 million euros

 " of the experimental treatment against Covid-19 administered to Donald Trump, Jens Spahn told the newspaper

Bild am Sonntag

, which represents 2,000 euros per dose.

Patients will receive this therapy free of charge, said a spokesperson for the Ministry of Health.

Two variations of this treatment based on “monoclonal” antibodies will be used in university hospitals next week.

Jens Spahn stressed that Germany was “ 

the first country in the EU 

” to use this type of therapy in the fight against the pandemic.

Both versions of this treatment were approved in November in the United States but do not yet have the green light from European regulatory authorities.

According to the spokeswoman for the ministry, the German medicines regulatory authority, the Federal Institute Paul-Ehrlich, considered that the use of this therapy was " 

in principle 

" allowed on a case-by-case basis if doctors deemed it appropriate. to prevent “ 

serious illness or hospitalizations among certain risk groups

 ”.

Orders from two American companies

Germany has sourced from two American companies, Regeneron for its Casirivimab / Imdevimab and Eli Lilly for its Bamlanivimab, the spokesperson said.

Both work in a similar fashion,

but Regeneron's version

combines two synthetic antibodies and Eli Lilly's version uses only one.

These antibodies mimic the functioning of the immune system after contamination by the coronavirus by going to block the tip of the virus which allows it to attach to and penetrate human cells.

Donald Trump had received the Regeneron treatment in early October when he was briefly hospitalized, even before he was authorized at the end of November by the United States Medicines Agency (FDA).

Eli Lilly's similar treatment had been authorized as of November 9.

The ex-president touted Regeneron's treatment, saying he had "

 cured 

" him.

(With

AFP

)

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  • Germany

  • Coronavirus

  • Health and medicine

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