Monoclonal antibody cocktails are now the most sought-after drugs among Covid patients across Kolkata and the demand is soaring every day, stoking fears of a shortage.
Before the Covid cases started spiraling from December 27, the cocktail drugs were in demand but not as much as it has been in the last three days.
Doctors are attributing the spurt in demand to a sharp rise in Covid cases.
Many Covid patients are calling up doctors, requesting them to administer a cocktail. One doctor said that to many patients the monoclonal antibody cocktails are a wonder drug that purge the virus from the body immediately and hence shorten their stay in isolation or at the hospital.
Another reason for the rise in demand is that despite the high cost, the drugs are covered by most insurance companies.
The drugs come in a pack of two doses, each costing between Rs 56,000 and around Rs 60,000, said hospital officials.
Belle Vue Clinic would have barely five to six patients every week taking a monoclonal antibody drug. For the last two days, the hospital has been administering the drug to more than 50 Covid patients daily.
“There is a very high demand now for the monoclonal cocktail drug. A person can get admitted and leave within four hours of taking the drug. Even last week, we would get the supply within two hours of placing the order. But now, it is taking 14 to 15 hours. Also, we have to give an undertaking that there would be no refunds,” said Pradip Tondon, CEO of Belle Vue.
Other hospitals, too, are witnessing a spurt in demand.
“We have seen the drugs reduce symptoms quite fast and lead to early negative reports. Ten patients took cocktails both on Thursday and Friday,” said Rupali Basu, managing director and CEO, Woodlands Multispeciality Hospital.
In October, only seven patients had taken cocktail drugs at the hospital. In December, till last week, 13 patients had been administered cocktails.
At AMRI Hospitals, Dhakuria, 15 patients received cocktails on Friday. Earlier, one or two would be administered a cocktail in a week, said an official of the hospital.
Doctors warned that antibody cocktails should not be prescribed indiscriminately.
“Given in the early stage of Covid, the drug prevents progression from mild to severe disease. There is enough data worldwide about its effectiveness. But one issue is who is to be administered the drug. It is indicated for a high risk group of people, who are elderly or those with comorbidities. It is not needed for the young with no comorbidity,” said Chandramouli Bhattacharya, infectious diseases expert at Peerless Hospital.
He cited the guidelines issued by the health authorities in the UK and US, saying an antibody test needs to be done before administering antibody cocktails.
“If a particular antibody is present, the drug will have no effect,” said Bhattacharya.
In India, too, there should be a clear guideline on usage.
“Also, some of the monoclonal antibody drugs, bamlanivimab plus etesevimab and casarivimab plus indevimab, are not expected to be effective against Omicron. The one that should retain effectiveness is sotrovimab but it is not available in India now,” said Bhattacharya.
Sauren Panja, head of the critical care unit at the RN Tagore International Institute of Cardiac Sciences, said he was getting at least four requests every day for the cocktail therapy.
“The therapy works but in certain conditions. We are following the guidelines to administer the drug and discouraging others because this will cause unnecessary shortages,” said Panja.
