Covid, Aifa: over 6,000 patients received monoclonals in three months

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18 June 2021 In Italy, 6,038 Covid patients have received monoclonal antibodies in just over three months. However, by virtue of the increase in the elderly and frail vaccinated, the weekly prescriptions continue to decline: between 11 and 17 June, there were only 64, or 36% less than the previous week, when they were 101, and with a very evident decrease compared to the 945 recorded between 16 and 22 April.

These are the data contained in the eleventh Report on Monoclonal Antibodies for Covid-19 of the Italian Medicines Agency (Aifa), which confirms that Lazio is the Region that has administered more doses.

Monoclonals are specific drugs against Covid-19, authorized in an emergency and also available in Italy starting last March 10. The same Minister of Health, Roberto Speranza, when signing the decree that allowed the distribution, in an extraordinary way, of monoclonal antibodies, spoke of "one more possibility to fight Covid-19" in addition to vaccines.

The ratio of prescriptions to the new Covid diagnoses that occurred in the same period remains more or less stable compared to that of last week, and equal to 0.6%, i.e. 9,901 (also in continuous decline): an indication that the people most at risk become less infected.

In absolute terms, more monoclonals have been dispensed since the start of monitoring

(811 doses),

(780),

(733). To close the ranking: the Autonomous Province of Trento (26), Molise (13) and the Autonomous Province of Bolzano (3).

To date, prescriptions have been carried out by 193 facilities and the majority of patients (3,383 out of 6,038) have received the combination of bamlanivimab and etesevimab. 

Therapies with monoclonal antibodies are administered by intravenous infusion to be carried out, the Aifa experts indicate, in a time of 60 minutes (followed by another 60 minutes of observation) and "in settings that allow a prompt and appropriate management of any serious adverse reactions" .

The candidate population for treatment with monoclonal antibodies, highlights the opinion of Cts Aifa, must be represented "only by subjects over 12 years old, positive for Sars-CoV-2, not hospitalized for Covid-19, not in oxygen therapy for Covid-19, with mild to moderate symptoms of recent onset (and in any case for no more than 10 days) and the presence of at least one of the risk factors (or at least 2 if one of them is over 65) "such as Chronic Kidney Disease, Uncontrolled Diabetes, Immunodeficiencies.