The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has launched a COVID-19 antibody treatment locator to help patients and providers find monoclonal antibody therapeutics for COVID-19.
The tool, based on shipments reported by the distributor, currently only displays information from 22 states.
Located at HHS’ Protect Public Data Hub, the tool displays locations that have received shipments of therapeutics under the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authority within the past several weeks.
As of Monday, the locator displayed data from only 22 states. HHS notes that states must opt-in to have facility information displayed. Also, it does not display locations that received fewer than five courses of treatment.
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“The therapeutics have been allocated to all states and U.S. territories,” explained an HHS spokesperson. It was noted the more states have since opted in and their information will show in the system soon.
“This locator allows patients and providers to find sites for outpatient treatment options, which may help reduce the number of people who require hospitalization for COVID-19 care, which in turn reduces the strain on our nation’s hospitals and their staff,” said Dr. Robert Kadlec, the HHS Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, in a statement.
WHY IT’S IMPORTANT
The FDA issued an emergency use authorization to use two monoclonal antibody therapeutics, manufactured by Regeneron and Eli Lilly, in November of last year.
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Some doctors at the Mayo Clinic, say such treatments can help keep high-risk patients out of the hospital. Others point to guidelines issued by the National Institutes of Health that are less definitive as to the treatments’ potency or advantage.
