Ashley Regional Medical Center announced Tuesday that they are offering a new therapy for treatment of non-hospitalized patients with a mild or moderate case of COVID-19. The hospital is among the first in the Uintah Basin to offer the new monoclonal antibody therapy. Ashley Regional shared details in a press release: Developed by pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly, the drug recently received emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration and is now being allocated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in partnership with the Utah Hospital Association and the Utah Department of Health. Monoclonal antibodies are laboratory-made proteins that mimic the immune system’s ability to fight off harmful viruses. Bamlanivimab is specifically designed to help block the SARS-CoV-2 virus and prevent the virus from further infecting healthy cells. Administered intravenously, this innovative treatment is designed to help lessen the severity of COVID-19 in individuals who are COVID-19-positive and are at risk for developing a severe form of the disease. “Ashley Regional Medical Center is proud to offer this treatment locally for qualifying patients, and our team has seen promising results in our initial patients,” said Adam Nielson, MD, an emergency physician at Ashley Regional. “Offering this treatment locally is an important step forward in helping prevent the most at-risk patients from being hospitalized due to COVID-19.” Further details are available at AshleyRegional.com.
