The Nevada State Board of Pharmacy is encouraging the use of monoclonal antibodies. The COVID medication is administered through an I.V. or through a shot. Doctors say it works best when it is used early in the infection.
"The monoclonal antibodies are going to be a really important tool as we're seeing an uptick with COVID in trying to keep people out of the hospital," Dr. Andy Pasternak, Family Physician at Silver Sage Center for Family Medicine said.
The Food and Drug Administration expanded the drug's emergency use authorization, Friday. That allows people who were exposed to the virus but have not received their test results to get the medication.
"If the test result's not going to happen for another two days, that's two more days of viral load and that could be the difference between life and death," Dr. Steven Dalton, Family Medicine Physician at Forest View Medical Clinic said.
Dalton has been administering monoclonal antibodies for several months, both in his office or at people's homes.
"I said that I wouldn't call these miracle drugs and I know I'm not supposed to," Dalton said. "I can't say that until I was 25-0 and I'm 138-0 in terms of saving people's lives in living rooms, wherever."
Dalton says he has given the drugs to people who were close to death. He says the medication saved their lives. If given intravenously, the process takes 20-45 minutes. Doctors say patients usually improve drastically within 24 hours. Dalton says it can happen before the treatment is finished.
"You'll see the life come into people," Dalton said. "You can actually watch it happen. Their eyes change. It's wild. The family members can see it and they wonder if it's real."
The medication is only approved for people age 12 and older. The drug gives a boost to the immune system.
"It sort of gives you artificial antibodies and what those antibodies do is they attach to the SARS-CoV-2 virus and then the virus can't get into your system and replicate as easily," Pasternak said.
Doctors used monoclonal antibodies to treat President Donald Trump when he was hospitalized with COVID-19 in October.
"These are the same meds that is what President Trump got when he was hospitalized and this was probably one of the main reasons why they got him turned around," Pasternak said.
Dalton says this medication could be the biggest medical breakthrough since penicillin.
"I give these things and it fixes people in ways I've never seen medicines work," Dalton said.
Patients did not have a lot of options, early in the pandemic. That has changed quite a bit during the last 16 months.
"With we first diagnosed people with this, a year ago, we had very, very few tools and it was 'Let's just try to talk you through this and support,'" Pasternak said. "As a primary care physician, these monoclonal antibodies are a game-changer. We actually feel like we can do something to help people and they are effective."
Instead of isolating, people have more options. Pasternak says if you are diagnosed with COVID-19, call your doctor.
"Call your primary care doctor, talk to them and say 'Hey, I tested positive. Am I a candidate for this." and they'll go through that with you," Pasternak said.
Doctors say the first line of defense is still to get one of the COVID-19 vaccines. People who are vaccinated and still catch the virus could qualify for monoclonal antibodies. If an unvaccinated person gets the treatment, they will have to wait 90 days before receiving the vaccine.
