President Donald Trump is undergoing an experimental antibody cocktail treatment after he was diagnosed Friday with COVID-19.
A memo released Friday by Trump's physician, Sean Conley, said Trump received a single, eight gram dose of Regeneron’s polyclonal antibody cocktail as well as zinc, vitamin D, famotidine, melatonin and a daily aspirin.
So what do all of those drugs do?
WHAT WE FOUND
The main treatment is Regeneron’s polyclonal antibody cocktail. Regeneron announced the development of the antibody treatment -- which it said was similar to one they had seen successful in treating Ebola -- in March with plans to begin clinical trials by early summer.
Earlier this week, Regeneron announced its first data from Phase 1/2/3 trials that were still ongoing. It has plans to discuss the results with regulatory agencies.
At this time, the treatment hasn’t even been given an emergency use authorization by the FDA, which it has for Remdesivir and plasma treatments. That means the treatment is still largely experimental, although Regeneron has boasted of the early trials' success so far.
Zinc is a nutritionally essential mineral that plays an important role in immune function, according to the Oregon State University Micronutrient Information Center. Vitamin D is another micronutrient critical to immune system health. While the World Health Organization acknowledges that both are critical to a well-functioning immune system, they say “There is currently no guidance on the use of micronutrient supplements as a treatment of COVID-19.”
Famotidine is typically used to treat problems with stomach acids and heartburn, according to the drug information database Drugs.com. While there are studies researching the efficacy of famotidine to treat COVID-19, it is not currently recommended as a potential treatment.
The National Institutes of Health explains that melatonin is a supplement used for sleep aid. It’s available as an over-the-counter drug.
Aspirin, Drugs.com says, is often used to alleviate pain and fever. Aspirin can also be found over-the-counter.