Joongsik Um
Will there be a new coronavirus infection (Corona 19) treatment in Korea? The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety is reviewing the conditional use of Celltrion’s antibody treatment (Rekirona), which has recently completed phase 2 clinical trials. On the 13th, the JoongAng Ilbo met with Professor Eom Jung-sik (53, photo), Gachon University Medical School (Infectious Internal Medicine), who is responsible for clinical trials in Rekkirona State at Gachon Gil Hospital in Incheon. Professor Eom has been working as a member of the KCDC crisis management countermeasures since the outbreak of Corona 19 last year. Next is one question and one answer with Professor Eom.
Clinical lead Joongsik Uhm Professor, Gachon University
Help in the treatment of elderly and underlying diseases
Shortening the recovery period by more than 3 days
- What is the effect of Rekirona in clinical trials?
- “(Corona 19) Severe patients can be reduced and hospitalized patients can be discharged quickly. Since October last year, it has conducted phase 2 clinical trials on 327 mild and moderately ill patients in Korea (30 patients) and 4 countries in Romania, the United States, and Sweden. Four patients also participated in Gachon University Hospital. It was confirmed that the concentration of the virus decreased very quickly after injection of the treatment. The recovery period (of Corona 19 patients) was also shortened by more than three days.”
- What is the principle of antibody therapy?
- “The novel coronavirus has a sharp spike protein on a ball-shaped surface. When it enters the human body, it sticks to the receptors on the outside of the cell, then goes inside, and replicates and multiplies. Antibody therapy sticks to and neutralizes the virus’s spike protein.”
- There has been even criticism that antibody treatments have been’fraud’.
- “Not like that. Antibody treatments such as Rekironazu are aimed at patients with mild to moderate illness. Although it is mild, it can prevent a patient with an underlying disease from becoming severely worse even if he is older or has no symptoms. Even healthy mild patients in their 20s to 30s can shorten the isolation period by three days by administering the treatment. It means that direct and indirect social costs can be greatly reduced.”
- Will Rekirona State be able to catch the Corona 19 pandemic?
- “An antibody treatment alone cannot change all situations. When there are 1000 patients, 15% progresses to severe. If half of them can be prevented, the number of severely ill patients will decrease by 70 to 80 every day. It takes 6 to 9 months at the earliest to control the COVID-19 outbreak with a vaccine. In the meantime, the 4th and 5th pandemic can come as much as possible. In this process, the early administration of the treatment to the confirmed patient can reduce the number of severely ill patients as much as possible.”
- Antibody therapy use is poor in the US.
- “The drug price is so high (1.5 million won) and the actual medication cost is more than that. Since there are so many patients in the United States, they are unable to enter the hospital until they become severely ill. In this situation, it is not easy to use antibody treatments.”
Incheon Written = Joonho Choi, Scientific and Future Professional Reporter
Photo = Reporter Jang Jin-young [email protected]