{"id":33845,"date":"2020-10-05T16:35:39","date_gmt":"2020-10-05T05:35:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/utter-drop.flywheelsites.com\/?post_type=hdsn_news_post&p=33845"},"modified":"2024-07-12T16:21:08","modified_gmt":"2024-07-12T06:21:08","slug":"us-president-donald-trump-has-covid-19-and-is-on-a-cocktail-of-experimental-drugs-what-does-this-mean-for-his-health","status":"publish","type":"hdsn_news_post","link":"https:\/\/hudson.org.au\/news\/us-president-donald-trump-has-covid-19-and-is-on-a-cocktail-of-experimental-drugs-what-does-this-mean-for-his-health\/","title":{"rendered":"US President Donald Trump has COVID-19 and is on a cocktail of experimental drugs. What does this mean for his health?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It is unknown how US President Donald Trump will respond to the experimental immunotherapy given to treat his COVID-19<\/a> infection, because the drug has not yet been tested and approved, says Hudson Institute Director and CEO, Professor Elizabeth Hartland<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Professor Elizabeth Hartland<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

President Trump was diagnosed with COVID-19 last week and hospitalized on the weekend at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, where doctors infused him with an experimental drug, Regeneron\u2019s REGN-COV2. He has also since been administered with remdesivir, an antiviral, and dexamethasone, a corticosteroid, plus zinc and vitamin D.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interviewed by ABC News Channel on the weekend, Prof Hartland said the \u2018antibody cocktail\u2019, REGN-COV2, given to the President, had not yet been fully tested.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRegeneron has developed two very specific immunotherapies, antibodies, and these target the so-called spike protein of the virus,\u201d Prof Hartland told host, Jeremy Fernandez.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s the part of the virus that it uses to attach to human cells. Once it is inside the cells then it starts to multiply. The idea is that these antibodies can block the spike proteins from attaching to the cells and thereby prevent the virus getting into cells in the first place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t know how effective this drug will be,\u201d Prof Hartland said. \u201cIt has been tested in around 275 people and the average age in that clinical trial was 44, so that is quite different to Mr Trump.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThose investigators were able to show a lower viral load and also shorter time to recovery, but in any individual, it would be very hard to predict what is going to happen.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prof Hartland said the President is already in a high-risk category because of his age, weight and gender.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe know from all the studies that have been done around the world and how people are affected by this virus that in people of older age, in people who have underlying heart disease or co morbidities, like diabetes, or they are overweight, or male gender, they\u2019re much more likely to experience severe complications with the coronavirus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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