Maharashtra government has taken a decision to slow down on procuring monoclonal antibodies. This antibody cocktail drug was found to be effective in preventing severe symptoms which can lead to hospitalisation and death of coronavirus patients.
This development came after the Centre told states that it is still reviewing the therapy. They are yet to make it a part of the national treatment guidelines. The Centre's technical advisory committee for COVID-19 management held a discussion on treatment protocols on Tuesday, November 2. They talked about the use of monoclonal antibodies in detail.
N Ramaswami, Commissioner of National Health Mission, who was present in the meeting, said that they are waiting to get clear instructions from the Centre and won't make any purchase. Even though the therapy is effective, the use of the same is restricted to the private sector for now, highlighted reports.
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This drug is recommended to patients who have mild to moderate symptoms and reach hospitals early. The drug contains two monoclonal antibodies, Casirivimab and Imdevimab, which are lab-engineered proteins.
Officials have said that the monoclonal antibodies cost INR 1.2 lakh a vial. The state government has made a provision of INR 300 crore to buy 60,000 doses, and as soon as the Centre makes a decision, they can use this money to purchase the doses, said Ramaswami. 70-75% of COVID-19 patients display mild to moderate symptoms, so the demand for these doses will be huge.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray has set a target of completing 100% vaccination for first dose by November 30.
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