University of Minnesota conducting trial of COVID-19 antibody solution
FILE - Health workers collects blood samples for Covid-19 antibody test during a serological survey at the Anganwadi Center near ITO in New Delhi. (Manish Rajput/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The University of Minnesota is conducting a trial of a COVID-19 antibody solution called hIVIG, according to the National Institutes of Health.
The clinical trial is testing the safety, tolerability and efficacy of the hIVIG solution, which will be used in conjunction with remdesivir, an antiviral that is currently recommended to for treating hospitalized COVID-19 patients. It has been shown to shorten the recovery time when compared to patients who received a placebo.
According to the NIH, the solution being tested contains antibodies donated from healthy people who have recovered from COVID-19.
Doctors hypothesize that administering hIVIG before the body makes a protective immune response to COVID-19 could help the body’s response to the virus and help reduce the risk of progression of it.
The first patient enrolled in the study Oct. 8. Doctors plan to enroll 500 hospitalized adults in Africa, Asia, Europe, North America and South America.
In Minnesota, Hennepin Healthcare and the Minneapolis VA Health Care System will be part of the trial.
Study participants will be chosen at random and neither the participants nor the study team will know who is receiving the treatment regimen.