Covid, virologists' research: monoclonals cure but are rarely used

Covid, virologists' research: monoclonals cure but are rarely used. According to researchers' calculations, each hospitalization for Covid costs the State about 21.000 euros on average, the monoclonal 1250 euros

They cost much less than a hospital stay, they are healing especially if used in the first few days after the onset of the disease, but they are used little, “and it is not clear why”: between April and August 2021 in Italy, only 9% of infected people over 70 were treated for Covid with monoclonal antibodies.

This is what emerges from a survey by virologists Ivan Gentile, Alberto Enrico Maraolo, Antonio Riccardo Buonomo, Mariano Nobili, Prisco Piscitelli, Alessandro Miani and Nicola Schiano Moriello who analyzed the data from those months: 70.022 Italians over 70 infected by Covid, of whom 21.503 were hospitalized with approximately 10.000 deaths.

“Treatment with monoclonal antibodies – Gentile explained – In most cases, it avoids hospitalization and leads to recovery, especially if done in the first 4-5 days after the onset of the disease. But this treatment is done to a very low percentage of people, and we don't see why. It would cure most patients, avoiding hospitalization and death, and would also save huge amounts of money for public health".

According to researchers' calculations, each hospitalization for Covid costs the State about 21.000 euros on average, the monoclonal 1250 euros.