Only 5% to 20% of COVID-19 antibodies being used, say health chiefs

The chief scientific adviser to the US government’s Operation Warp Speed program has said that only 5% to 20% of the roughly 65,000 doses of COVID-19 antibody treatments shipped to states around the country every week end up going to patients.

Moncef Slaoui told CNBC this week that these drugs, from US companies Regeneron (Nasdaq: REGN) and Eli Lilly (NYSE: LLY), could cut down on hospitalizations by 50% to 70%.

He said that these options should be used much more, despite the difficulty in delivering them given that they are administered by intravenous infusion, so patients must go to health centers where this can be done. Some states are delivering their entire allocation, while others are hardly using any.