The process of administering monoclonal antibodies to covid-19 patients, which has been approved by an established competent scientific committee, has begun in Greece.
Yannis Kotsiopoulos, Secretary General of the Health Service of the Ministry of Health, told APE-MPE that the patients who received them are in good condition.
According to Mr. Kotsiopoulos, 10 selected hospitals (Sotiria, Sismanogleio, AHEPA, Papageorgiou, Lamia and the universities of Alexandroupolis, Larisa, Ioannina, Patr Rio, Heraklion) are completely ready. At the first stage, our country purchased 2000 doses of monoclonal antibodies.
“On Friday, the introduction of drugs to patients began, the application of which was approved by the competent committee. The first patients arrived at the hospitals, ”said Mr Kotsiopoulos. He emphasizes that the entire process is carried out through an electronic platform that provides transparency and also tracks every dose administered.
Recall that a medical application for the administration of monoclonal antibodies to patients with COVID-19 is submitted exclusively by the patient’s attending physician through the electronic prescription system. The priority of applications will depend on the time of their submission to the electronic system. The beneficiaries are patients who meet the criteria defined by the National Committee to Protect Public Health from COVID-19 Infection. These are mainly patients from vulnerable high-risk groups. A physician can apply for monoclonal antibodies only if the patient is 12 years of age or older and has been confirmed by a PCR test performed within the last five days.
The attending physician fills in the patient data. After submitting the application, he receives an SMS message on his mobile phone confirming the receipt of the application. Both the doctor and the patient receive an SMS message about the decision of the commission, positive or negative.
Applications are considered by the commission within a few hours. In cases where the administration of monoclonal antibodies is approved, patients are informed by the receiving hospital and arrive at the appointed time for an appointment.
The administration of the drug is a simple procedure similar to the administration of other antibodies and takes about 30 minutes. The patient is in a special ward for about two hours to monitor his health.
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