By Quaid Najmi

Mumbai, Jul 12 (IANS): The BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation on Monday said that a new 'Antibodies Cocktail Treatment' combining two drugs has apparently worked wonders on Covid-19 patients, as per trials conducted recently.

A mixture of the two drugs - Casirivimab and Indevimab, both manufactured by the pharma giant Roche India - was administered to 212 patients above the age of 12 - and the results of the pilot project are extremely encouraging, Seven Hills Hospital's Dean Dr Balkrishna Adsul said.

"The patients were selected carefully, with their weight above 40 kg, with mild-to-medium symptoms of Covid-19, and at least one co-morbidity condition. They were administered the 'antibodies cocktail' for an hour through saline under medical supervision," he said.

"Most importantly, it can be administered to patients having diabetes, high blood pressure, kidney problems, heart diseases, asthma and other acute respiratory diseases, sickle cell, cerebral palsy, etc" he added.

The results of 199 of the 212 patients' response to the 'antibody cocktail' therapy have been received, with pleasant surprise for the civic and medical authorities.

None of the patients have exhibited any side-effects and their body temperatures (fever) dropped to normal within 48 hours, plus the death rate has fallen steeply by 70 per cent.

"Besides, their hospital stay was reduced to barely 5-6 days from the current 14-15 days and we can also give this 'antibody cocktail' to patients as OPD, without needing admission to the hospital," Adsul said.

So far, only one (0.5 per cent) patient required oxygen supply even after taking the drugs cocktail, he added of the pilot project, which was implemented during the past four weeks.

"More trials will be conducted on this 'antibody cocktail'. This could revolutionise the Covid-19 treatment and help us better manage the potential 'third wave' expected," Seven Hills Hospital OSD Dr Maharudra Kumbhar told IANS.

Then US President Donald Trump, who was infected last year, had been administered a similar 'antibody cocktail' - being tested in that country since November 2020 - and he showed remarkable improvement in his health.

Incidentally, health officials said that the drugs used for the cocktail therapy are actually deployed for third or terminal stage cancer treatment, which are now proving useful for Covid-19.

Kumbhar said that given the promising results derived in the pilot project, the health authorities have asked several more civic hospitals and medical colleges to administer the cocktail to their Covid-19 patients over the next one or two months.

Thereafter, medical experts will study the outcome from all the trials, publish a research paper and then the civic and state health departments would take further necessary steps in the matter.

Approved by BMC Commissioner I. S. Chahal and implemented by Additional Municipal Commissioner Suresh Kakani, Family Welfare Commissioner, Maharashtra, Ramaswamy, of the 199 patients, 101 are in the age group of 18-45, 45 aged between 45-459, 53 above 60 years, and at least 4 were earlier on oxygen support.

Civic officials are in high spirits and are optimistic that with the success of the 'antibody cocktails' in the pilot projects, the state will confidently deliver a 'kick' to the Covid-19 virus in the anticipated third wave.