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There is one monoclonal antibody treatment and two antiviral pills that work against omicron variant of COVID-19.
But none of these new medications are substitutes for vaccination, said experts who spoke during a Facebook live event hosted by the state Department of Health Tuesday.
"Vaccines and boosters are the first line of defense," said Pennsylvania Surgeon General Denise Johnson.
Monoclonal antibodies and antiviral pills are a "last resort," said Dr. Pablo Tebas, an infectious diseases physician at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.
It's better to get vaccinated and greatly reduce the risk of hospitalization and death than to risk having to rely on that last resort, saido Dr. Ryan Bariola, medical director of antimicrobial stewardship at UPMC.
The vaccines aren't preventing infections against omicron as readily as they did with delta, and even more, against the original virus, according to Tebas.
The immune system features triggered by the vaccine bind less well onto the spikes of the virus, which are key to their entering the body's cells.
"But it still binds," Tebas said. Because of that, "the disease is much less severe."
Vaccination trains the body's immune system to develop its own antibodies and other weapons to fight the virus.
Monoclonal antibody infusions provide a "temporary supply" of artificial antibodies, which bind onto viral spikes, but the antibodies only last around 30 days.
The oral antivirals disrupt viruses, much like antibiotics disrupt bacteria, according to Tebas.
Both monoclonal antibodies and antivirals need to be given soon after infection, preferably within five days.
Three monoclonal antibody infusion treatments have been granted Emergency Use Authorizations by the Food and Drug Administration, but only GlaxoSmithKline and Vir Biotechnology's sotrovimab works against the omicron variant.
Omicron's prevalence is around 90 percent by now, so that has led to the abandonment of the other medications, he said.
Monoclonal antibody treatments are for outpatients only, because when people are hospitalized generally COVID-19 has progressed too far for antivirals to be effective, Tebas said.
Some people worry that the medications haven't been formally approved by the FDA, Tebas said. But the FDA doesn't grant EUAs without significant testing.
Unfortunately, supplies are far short of demand, which means that the medical community has to prioritize who receives the meds, Tebas said.
Mirror Staff Writer William Kibler is at 814-949-7038.