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UAE: Covid-19 medicine Sotrovimab aids recovery of 97% patients within a week

The UAE was one of the first countries in the world to receive a shipment of Sotrovimab last month

by Zainab Mansoor

July 1, 2021

More than 97.3 per cent of the recipients of anti-viral treatment Sotrovimab showed improvement within five to seven days and, as symptoms subsided, neared full recovery.

The treatment results were announced on Wednesday, June 30, by the UAE’s Ministry of Health and Prevention, in collaboration with the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DoH) and Dubai Health Authority (DHA).

Between June 16-29, Sotrovimab was administered to 658 patients with the Covid-19 infection, 46 per cent of whom were citizens and 54 per cent of whom were residents. About 59 per cent of the patients were aged 50 or above.

Patients receiving Sotrovimab fall within at-risk groups due to other co-morbidities that have been associated with severe Covid-19, such as obesity, cancer, kidney disease, lung disease, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension and allergies, Abu Dhabi Government Media Office reported.

The UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention, in collaboration with Department of Health-Abu Dhabi and Dubai Health Authority, has announced the effectiveness of #Covid_19 medicine Sotrovimab in treating severe cases, with 97.3 per cent of recipients recovering within 5-7 days. pic.twitter.com/tr6kdtJkqv

— مكتب أبوظبي الإعلامي (@admediaoffice) June 30, 2021

The MoHAP has approved the use of Sotrovimab, which is produced by biopharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), after conducting local evaluation. It has also been approved for emergency use by the US Food and Drug Administration.

Sotrovimab is a monoclonal antibody treatment delivered through intravenous therapy, and can be used to treat adults and children above the age of 12 who meet certain criteria and are at risk of progressing to a severe Covid-19 condition, as per protocols that have been developed by the National Scientific Committee.

Last month, the medicine was made available for early treatment of certain categories of patients in the UAE, following an agreement between DoH, the country’s group purchasing organisation (GPO) Rafed, and GSK.

Read: Abu Dhabi becomes first location to receive new Covid-19 medication