Regeneron: How easy is it for ordinary Americans to access coronavirus treatment recommended by Trump?

US drugmaker requests approval for 50,000 doses of treatment used on president

Donald Trump has recommended another unproven coronavirus treatment called Regeneron and promised it would be delivered en masse without cost to Americans.

Making an appearance via video on Wednesday, the US president cited the treatment he received at Walter Reed Medical Centre, and promised he would soon approve its widespread use.

Doctors reportedly administered the 74-year-old president with the antibody treatment produced by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc, and known as REGN-COV2, on compassionate grounds over the weekend.

“It's called Regeneron — and other things too — but I think this was the key,” said the president in a video. “But they gave me Regeneron and it was like unbelievable, I felt good immediately.”

The drug, which has not yet been approved to treat Covid-19 in the United States, is subject to clinical trials around the world and approval by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

REGN-COV2 is made up of two monoclonal antibodies (REGN10933 and REGN10987), which are man-made and act like human antibodies in the immune system, helping to fight off the virus.

While recommending coronavirus patients to request the Regernon-produced treatment, Mr Trump claimed on Wednesday that he would seek widespread authorisation of the drug’s use.

“We’re trying to get them on an emergency basis. We’ve authorised it, I’ve authorised it, and if you're in the hospital and you're feeling really bad I think we’re going to work it so you can get ‘em free,” he said.

Mr Trump claimed on Wednesday that “we have hundreds of thousands of doses that are about ready”, however Regeneron announced that it was asking for FDA approval for some 50,000 doses to be delivered.   

An FDA spokesperson did not return comment to The New York Times on Regeneron’s application, with the agency supposed to make decisions independent of the White House.

The president’s doctor meanwhile claimed he had developed virus antibodies — a sign that could indicate his immune system’s response to Covid-19, or the antibodies delivered though his treatment regimen.

It is not clear at present when Regeneron’s drug will be approved.