Trident Medical Center begins administering new COVID-19 treatment

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - Trident Medical Center is now offering a new treatment for non-hospitalized patients with mild or moderate confirmed cases of COVID-19.

The medical center started administering the COVID infusion therapy Bamlanivimab to patients on Monday.

The medical center held a news conference Wednesday to announce the first doses given of the monoclonal antibody therapeutic, bamlanivimab, for the treatment of non-hospitalized patients.

The therapy received emergency use authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on November 9 and was made available to hospitals across the country. Trident Health Chief Medical Officer Dr. Lee Biggs says the hospital had to make a quick decision.

“We thought about it for about an hour,” Biggs said. “[It] allows us to do something we haven’t been able to do for ten months. It was really a no-brainer decision.”

According to the USFDA, bamlanivimab is appropriate for emergency use for the treatment of mild to moderate COVID-19 in adults and pediatric patients with positive results SARS-CoV-2. The infusion is considered an out-patient treatment and avoids tying up valuable hospital resources.

Biggs said the medical center has 150 doses of bamlanivimab, but Trident Health says they have since received 100 more.

As of Wednesday, 12 patients have received this infusion therapy. The entire process includes registering for out-patient treatment, a one-hour infusion, and one-hour post-treatment monitoring. Trident Medical Center converted a previous in-patient area to an infusion center.

The medical center says it will identify prospective patients through its five ERs at Trident Medical Center, Summerville Medical Center, Brighton Park Emergency, Centre Pointe Emergency, Moncks Corner Medical Center, and through primary care providers.

The statement said Palmetto Primary and Specialty Care Physicians and Fetter Health Care Network are the first two primary care providers to participate.

Qualifying COVID-19 patients have mild or moderate symptoms and meet the following:

• Adult and pediatric patients 12 years or older, weighing at least 40 kg
• Positive SARS-CoV-2 viral testing
• Within 10 days of symptom onset
• Outpatients (not hospitalized)
• Not requiring supplemental oxygen due to non-COVID-19 comorbidity; patient must not require an increase in baseline oxygen flow rate due to COVID-19
• High risk for progressing to severe COVID-19 and/or hospitalization.

For more information on high-risk patient criteria, click here.

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