The UAE has approved the emergency use of a new drug that can help to save the lives of patients seriously ill with coronavirus.Sotrovimab, produced by British drug maker GlaxoSmithKline, can reduce Covid-19 deaths and hospital admissions by up to 85 per cent.
The UAE is the first country in the world to both license and enable immediate patient use of the drug. It comes after the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave an emergency use authorisation to the antibody treatment.
Sotrovimab will be available to Covid-19 patients in the US in the coming weeks.Lab tests showed the medicine was effective against variants of the coronavirus.
The new medicine will greatly contribute to speeding up the recovery of patients, reducing Covid-19-related deaths and treatment period in intensive care units.It will also support the country’s efforts being made to conduct Covid-19 tests and administer vaccines, retaining its leading position among the world’s foremost countries, dealing efficiently with the Covid-19 pandemic.
Sotrovimab is a monoclonal antibody that can be used in patients aged over 12 with mild to moderate Covid-19 who are at risk of severe illness.Monoclonal antibodies are laboratory-made proteins that mimic the immune system’s ability to fight pathogens.
It can reduce hospital stays for more than 24 hours and fatalities by as much as 85 per cent.UAE authorities have been working alongside drug developers to ensure protocols are in place for its effective administration across health facilities.New guidelines are in place to advise doctors on appropriate use and how to direct patients to centres where Sotrovimab will be available.
The UAE became the first nation to include the treatment in its Covid care programme because of it long-established strategic partnership with GlaxoSmithKline.547,008 people have recovered from Covid-19 in the UAE, while the death toll stands at 1,673.
Post Your Comments