The Food and Drug Administration announced Saturday evening it has granted emergency use authorization for Regeneron Pharmaceuticals' antibody cocktail given to President Trump to treat his COVID-19 infection last month.
Why it matters: Regeneron's two monoclonal antibodies, casirivimab and imdevimab, are for people who tested positive for the coronavirus and "who are at high risk for progressing to severe COVID-19," including people who are 65 and older, and/or people with certain chronic illnesses, per an FDA statement.
Of note: "The safety and effectiveness of this investigational therapy for use in the treatment of COVID-19 continues to be evaluated," the FDA said.
Driving the news: A clinical trial of patients with COVID-19 found that when the two antibodies were administered together, they "were shown to reduce COVID-19-related hospitalization or emergency room visits in patients at high risk for disease progression within 28 days after treatment when compared to placebo," the FDA said.
What to expect: Regeneron said in a statement it expects to have doses of the treatment, called REGEN-COV2, ready for some 80,000 patients by the end of November, about 200,000 patients by the first week of January, and approximately 300,000 patients in total by the end of January 2021.
Go deeper: Regeneron CEO: Trump's success with antibody cocktail is not evidence of cure
Editor's note: This a breaking news story. Please check back for updates
