USC Seeking Volunteers For COVID-19 Antibody Treatment
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – A clinical trial for a COVID-19 antibody drug is looking for volunteers in the Los Angeles area, Keck Medicine of USC reported Tuesday.
The nationwide phase 3 clinical trial is for a monoclonal antibody drug known as LY-CoV555, Keck Medicine reports. The treatment, from drug maker Eli Lily, is specifically designed for patients with mild or moderate cases of coronavirus.
President Donald Trump was treated with a monoclonal antibody drug known as Regeneron when he contracted coronavirus last month.
"Monoclonal antibodies are synthetic versions of the antibodies the body naturally produces when exposed to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19," Keck Medicine wrote in a news release. "When given during the early stages of COVID-19, these antibodies may prevent the virus from replicating and spreading."
Dr. Saahir Khan, a USC researcher working on the trial, says that the drug has shown some success at keeping patients with moderate cases of COVID-19 from being hospitalized.
To participate, you must be 18 or older and need to have tested positive for COVID-19 within seven days of enrolling in the trial.
The double-blind trial will involve giving participants a one-time infusion of either the drug or a placebo. Participants will then be monitored for 24 weeks.
If you are interested in enrolling, click here.
