Potential New Long COVID Treatment: Monoclonal Antibodies

Tens of millions of people globally are battling the debilitating effects of long COVID. A small study published in the American Journal of Emergency Medicine suggests that monoclonal antibodies, specifically the casirivimab/imdevimab cocktail, may be an effective treatment for long COVID. The study examined three Florida patients with long COVID who experienced complete recoveries within five days after receiving the monoclonal antibody treatment and were still symptom free more than two years later. The patients had been infected with COVID-19 in 2020 or early 2021 and differed in past histories, sex, age, and illness duration (five, eight and 18 months).

Mechanisms of Action and Potential Benefits of Monoclonal Antibodies

Researchers propose several theories about how monoclonal antibodies may help treat long COVID. One theory suggests that the antibodies stimulate the body to fight off residual virus that conventional testing cannot detect. Another theory suggests that monoclonal antibodies displace dysfunctional antibodies that attack the body's own cells and cause long COVID symptoms. Additionally, it is speculated that the antibodies may neutralize reactivation of other viruses present in long COVID patients. However, it is unclear whether the treatment would be effective against newer COVID-19 variants such as Omicron.

Future Research and Potential Treatments for Long COVID

Moving forward, researchers plan to create a registry of volunteer patients with severe long COVID to further study the efficacy of different monoclonal antibodies against each COVID-19 variant.