Northwick Park among first to trial new covid drug
Northwick Park is one of the first hospitals in the UK to treat its covid patients with a new drug that can reduce the risk of death by 30%.
Ronapreve first made the headlines a year ago when former US President Donald Trump was given an infusion of the drug before clinical trials confirmed its effectiveness.
The therapy involves a combination of antibodies that attach themselves to the virus to stop it infecting cells and is given to COVID patients admitted to hospital who haven’t naturally made their own antibodies.
Dr Ashley Whittington, an infectious diseases consultant, said: “We initially ran a trial at the hospital and a number of hospitalised patients agreed to take part and it was subsequently given emergency approval. It helps reduce hospital stays by a couple of days.”
Covid patients continue to be admitted to the trust’s hospitals in Ealing and Northwick Park but in far smaller numbers than its last peak in February. The majority of people who are admitted haven’t been vaccinated.
Dr Whittington added: “The benefits of having the vaccination far outweigh the risks and my advice to anyone is to err on the side of caution to protect yourself and others.”