Doctors are often unaware of the anti-body treatment for early Covid-19

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Mon, 2021-10-25 10:48 — mike kraft

(CNN) On September 17, Mayra Arana made the phone call she says saved her life.

Arana had been vaccinated against Covid-19, but she developed a breakthrough infection. She feared the virus might kill her, since her immune system is weak after years of treatment for leukemia.

Arana's family physician in California told her there wasn't much she could do besides stay home and rest. ...

By this point, Arana was so weak she couldn't walk on her own. Her husband, a school bus driver and custodian, got her out of bed and drove her to UCSF Fresno, where she received four shots of the treatment, called monoclonal antibodies.

An investigation by CNN shows Arana is not alone in her challenge to find monoclonal antibodies. Many patients who qualify for the drugs say their doctors never mentioned them, even though it has been nearly a year since antibodies were first authorized by the US Food and Drug Administration, they're the only treatment for early Covid, and studies have shown they can dramatically reduce the risk of hospitalization and death.

The federal government has made efforts to educate doctors, including a presentation by Dr. Anthony Fauci at a White House briefing in August, but still problems have persisted.

"It's unconscionable," said Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious disease expert and professor at the UCSF School of Medicine. "We have an evidence-based drug, and it's provided free by the government, but there are barriers built into the system to get it." ...

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