More Minnesotans are gaining access to an experimental COVID-19 treatment that could prevent high-risk patients from being hospitalized.
Minnetonka-based UnitedHealth Group announced Friday the launch of a large study that plans to enroll 500,000 people across 46 states, including Minnesota, and provide the new monoclonal antibody treatment to at least 5,000 patients.
Last month, Mayo Clinic became the first health system in Minnesota to begin administering the drug therapy, which is similar to treatment received earlier this year by President Donald Trump.
Hennepin Healthcare in Minneapolis is now providing the infusion treatment, and the M Health Fairview system plans to begin doing so next week.
Vaccines for COVID-19 have been getting a lot of attention in recent weeks, but the development of effective treatments remains crucial, said Ken Ehlert, chief scientific officer at UnitedHealth Group.
"In most diseases, the way these things work is, even if you have a vaccine you still need treatments that actually can help avoid the consequences of some of these diseases," Ehlert said.
Approved by regulators for emergency use, the treatment called bamlanivimab is manufactured by the Indiana-based drug company Eli Lilly. Patients age 65 and older receive the therapy through an hourlong infusion.
It's being offered to those with mild to moderate COVID-19 who are at high risk for getting it much worse. It's thought to work best when administered to patients early in the course of their illness.