The new treatment could reduce the number of Covid-19 fatalities by up to 85 percent…

A highly-effective new treatment for Covid-19 has been approved by the UAE, making it the first country in the world to license and enable immediate patient use. The emergency use of Sotrovimab (Vir-7831) has been approved by The Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP).

According to Emirates News Agency (WAM) the drug, which is endorsed by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), offers the promising prospect of reducing hospitalisation for more than 24 hours and fatalities by as much as 85 per cent when administered to patients as an early treatment against the coronavirus.

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Sotrovimab (Vir-7831) which is by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and Vir Biotechnology is a ‘monoclonal antibody, for the treatment of patients aged 12 years or older with mild to moderate COVID-19 disease who are at risk of progression to hospitalisation or death.’

Dr. Abdul Rahman bin Mohammad bin Nasser Al Owais, Minister of Health and Prevention said: “Such a new qualitative achievement would not have been possible had it not been for the UAE leadership’s keenness to proactively address the pandemic, attract and provide innovative medicines that prove effective and efficient, and adopting them as treatment protocols.”

He continued: “The new medicine will greatly contribute to speeding up the recovery of patients, reducing Covid-19-related deaths and hospitalization period in intensive care units. It will also support the country’s efforts being made to conduct Covid-19 tests and administer vaccines, retaining its leading position among the world’s foremost countries, dealing efficiently with the Covid-19 pandemic.”

The UAE continues to storm ahead in its vaccination roll-outs. Currently the number of people who have had the Covid-19 vaccine in the UAE stands at nearly 13 million.

Image: Getty