RAK Hospital Introduces New Treatment Option to Prevent Severe COVID-19 Cases

Becomes one of the first hospitals in the UAE to provide Bamlanivimab antibody treatment
Advanced treatment for COVID-19, an injection to be administered in a hospital setting

25 February 2021 - Ras Al Khaimah, UAE:  Staying at the forefront of providing advanced treatment options to the community, RAK Hospital in Ras Al Khaimah has now introduced Bamlanivimab, a highly effective antibody treatment against COVID-19 which greatly reduces the risk of hospitalization or progression to severe disease and bad outcome including artificial ventilation.

Bamlanivimab has been authorized for emergency use by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), to treat mild to moderate symptoms of COVID-19 in non-hospitalized adults  with COVID-19 Positive result, and who are at high risk for developing severe COVID-19 symptoms or the need for hospitalization. It is the first drug to be approved that was designed specifically against the new coronavirus.

When there’s a virus in your body, like COVID-19, your immune system makes antibodies to fight it off. But it takes time for your body to make antibodies for a new virus — and in the meantime, you could get very sick.

“A synthetic antibody treatment against COVID-19 developed by Eli Lilly,Bamlanivimab neutralizes the virus. Normally the patient’s immune system produces antibodies, but this takes time and the patient can develop severe symptoms during the immune response. The medication consists of antibodies similar to the antibodies of patients who recovered from the disease thereby allowing an immediate response to the virus and avoid severe disease”, said Dr. Jean Marc Gauer, CEO, RAK Hospital.

The drug is a treatment option for people with COVID-19 who have had positive results of direct SARS-CoV-2 viral testing. The research so far shows that for certain people, taking this drug may help limit the amount of virus in the body. Particularly if you are over 65 years, have diabetes, high BP, heart issues, this is the treatment for you. However, it is not for people who are already in the hospital because of COVID-19 symptoms.

Explaining how the drug is administered, Dr. Gauer says, “The patient only needs to get the drug 1 time via an intravenous (IV) infusion, meaning that a nurse will put a small needle in your arm to give you the drug slowly over 1 hour.  Your healthcare provider will determine the duration of your infusion and the treatment has to be given in a hospital setting. One will also need at least 1 hour observation after the infusion”. 

“However, this treatment option is not suitable for patients with low oxygen saturation (SpO2 <93%), or respiratory rate > 30/minute or heartrate > 125/minute or the ones who require hospital admission. Pregnant women are also not the candidates”, further elaborated Dr. Gauer.

“RAK Hospital is always at the forefront of medical excellence and has therefore taken a very active approach in fighting the pandemic since its onset. This is one more example of our initiative and commitment to offering the best possible care to the community and supporting Government’s efforts”, commented Dr Raza Siddiqui, Executive Director, RAK Hospital.