Governor Kim Reynolds says the State of Iowa is getting a shipment of a new treatment designed to stimulate the immune system in high-risk patients with mild to moderate Covid symptoms.
“Iowa will be receiving more than 2000 doses of the new monoclonal antibody therapy for the treatment of Covid-19,” she says. “The therapeutic is targeted for adults age 65 or with certain medical conditions and for children over the age of 12 who are immune compromised.”
Reynolds says the medication will be distributed to what she called “interested” Iowa hospitals, based on the number of Covid patients they’ve been treating.
“The drug is administered in outpatient settings,” Reynolds says, “and is not authorized for individuals already hospitalized or requiring oxygen therapy.”
The Food and Drug Administration gave approval to this experimental treatment on November 9 after clinical trials showed it reduced the risk of hospitalizations and emergency room visits among high-risk Covid patients.