Outpatient Treatment of SARS-CoV-2 Infection to Prevent COVID-19 Progression

Abstract

As of March 2021, COVID-19 has caused more than 123 million infections, and almost 3 million deaths worldwide. Dramatic advances have been made in vaccine development and non-pharmaceutical interventions to stop the spread of infection. But treatments to stop the progression of disease are limited. A wide variety of "repurposed" drugs explored for treatment of COVID-19 have had little or no benefit. More recently, intravenous monoclonal antibody (mAb) combinations have been authorized by the US FDA for emergency use (EUA) for outpatients with mild to moderate COVID-19 including some active against emerging SARS-COV-2 variants of concern (VOC). Easier to administer therapeutics including intramuscular and subcutaneous mAbs and oral antivirals are in clinical trials. Reliable, safe, effective COVID-19 treatment for early infection in the outpatient setting is of urgent and critical importance. Availability of such treatment should lead to reduced progression of COVID-19.