"Millions Ineffective to COVID-19 Vaccines... Could Antibody Treatments Be an Alternative?"

Especially High Risk for Those with Innate Immunity Deficiency or the Elderly
Urgent Need to Develop Antibody Therapeutics to Improve This
Infection Prevention Also Important Through Vaccination of People Around Them

Andrew Cuomo, Governor of New York State, received a COVID-19 vaccine injection at a church in the Harlem district of New York City on the 17th of last month (local time).
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Minwoo Lee] Millions of people find it difficult to prevent infection even after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, drawing attention to whether antibody treatments could be an alternative.

The New York Times (NYT) reported on the 15th (local time) that monoclonal antibody treatments are being researched for people whose immune systems are insufficient, making vaccines less effective.

NYT stated that the number of patients for whom COVID-19 vaccines do not work due to immune problems could reach millions. These individuals were either born with incomplete immune systems or developed immune system abnormalities during disease treatment. Therefore, even after vaccination, they produce almost no antibodies. If infected with COVID-19, they may suffer for a long time and have a higher mortality rate.

According to a study published last month in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), among 436 transplant patients, only 17% developed antibodies three weeks after receiving one dose of the Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. It is estimated that patients who have overcome blood cancer, received organ transplants, or are taking Remicade have cases where the COVID-19 vaccine is ineffective. Additionally, there are concerns that some people over 80 years old may not show vaccine effectiveness due to weakened immune responses caused by aging.

NYT emphasized that to protect these individuals, family members and acquaintances should all receive the COVID-19 vaccine to block infection. It also reported that antibody treatment research for these patients is underway.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved several COVID-19 monoclonal antibody treatments, and experiments are ongoing to verify the preventive effects of some antibody treatments against COVID-19. The American pharmaceutical company Regeneron has provided antibody treatments to a small number of patients with weakened immune functions.

NYT recommended that people with weakened immunity receive multiple vaccine doses since their immune cells can be produced to some extent. Dr. Tariq Ahmad, a gastroenterology specialist, emphasized, "These patients (with weakened immunity) should first receive two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.