Germany To Start Giving COVID-19 Patients Antibody Drug Given To Trump - Health Minister

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 24th January, 2021) Germany will become the first EU country to use antibody cocktails to treat COVID-19 patients likely similar to the one used to treat former US President Donald Trump, German Health Minister Jens Spahn said in an interview published Sunday.

"Starting next week, the monoclonal antibodies will be used in Germany as the first country in the EU. Initially in university clinics," Spahn said in an interview with Bild am Sonntag.

Although the minister did not specify the manufacturer or country of origin, the publication said it understood that it was the same treatment given to Trump when he became infected in October.

Spahn said that the Federal government bought 200,000 doses for 400 million Euros ($487 million). First doses are expected to be administered in the course of next week.

According to the minister, the treatment acts as a supplement to the immune system in recognizing and attacking the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, thereby helping patients avoid becoming severely ill.

During his treatment after catching COVID-19 last year, Trump was given a number of drugs difficult to access for the general public, including Regeneron's experimental antibody cocktail.