Treatment Options for Patients with Mild to Moderate Symptoms
Monoclonal antibody treatment have been shown to reduce hospitalization and symptom days in high-risk COVID-19 patients with mild to moderate symptoms. Your eligible patients who have had mild to moderate symptoms for 10 days or less may benefit from treatment with certain monoclonal antibody drugs.
To access these treatments, patients will need a referral from a healthcare provider.
COVID-19 Monoclonal Antibody Therapeutics
Monoclonal antibodies are laboratory-made proteins that mimic the immune system’s ability to fight off harmful antigens such as viruses. Monoclonal antibodies to treat COVID-19 are directed against the spike protein of SARS-COV2, designed to block the virus’ attachment and entry into human cells.
Two COVID-19 monoclonal antibody therapeutics,
casirivimab/imdevimab and
bamlanivimab, have been granted
Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the FDA for the treatment of eligible COVID-19 patients
Patient Eligibility
Patients who meet the following criteria or demonstrate the following symptoms may be eligible to receive COVID-19 monoclonal antibody therapeutics
- Test Positive in Last 10 Days
- Mild Symptoms
- At High Risk for Severe Disease
- COVID-19 Vaccinated and Unvaccinated Individuals
- 12 Years of Age or Older
Patients who receive a COVID-19 vaccine and subsequently develop related infection may receive monoclonal antibody therapy.
Mild to Moderate Symptoms
Mild symptoms may include fever, cough, sore throat, malaise, headache, muscle pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and loss of taste and smell. Moderate symptoms may also include shortness of breath.
Patients who have been hospitalized are not eligible to receive COVID-19 monoclonal antibody treatments because the treatment has not been shown to benefit hospitalized patients.
People at High Risk for Severe Disease
Only high-risk groups have been authorized for treatment at this time. High-risk individuals include:
| Anyone who meets one or more of the following criteria: - Over 65 years old
- Chronic kidney disease
- Diabetes
- Body mass index over 35
- Immunosuppressive disease
- Currently receiving immunosuppressive treatment
|
| Anyone who is 55 or older and meets any of the following criteria: - Cardiovascular disease
- Hypertension
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or other chronic respiratory disease
|
| Anyone who is 12-17 years old and meets any of the following criteria:
- Body mass index in the 85th Percentile or greater for their age and gender based on CDC growth charts
- Sickle cell disease
- Congenital or acquired heart disease
- Neurodevelopmental disorders (e.g. cerebral palsy)
- A medical-related technological dependence (e.g. tracheostomy, gastrostomy, or positive pressure ventilation not related to COVID-19)
- Asthma, reactive airway or other chronic respiratory disease that requires daily medication for control
|
Treatment Administration
This treatment should only be administered in settings where health care providers have immediate access to medications to treat severe infusion reaction, such as anaphylaxis, and the ability to activate the emergency medical system, if necessary. Required elements for administering monoclonal treatment can be found in the Emergency Use Authorization and in the resources section below.
If you think that treatment is right for your patient, contact your state/local/territory health department to learn about monoclonal antibody allocation in your area and visit
combatCOVID.hhs.gov.
Treatment Locator
To find potential locations for treatment with monoclonal antibody therapeutics, HHS offers a web-based COVID-19 outpatient
treatment locator. Currently there are about 3,700 sites where treatments are available.
Other Treatment Options
Additional treatment options can be found on the
FDA website.
More Resources on COVID-19 Monoclonal Antibody Therapeutics
More Resources for Providers on Bamlanivimab.
More Resources for Providers on Casirivimab/imdevimab