StarMed Healthcare is offering free COVID antibody therapy in Charlotte. What to know
StarMed Healthcare, one of Mecklenburg County’s key coronavirus testing and vaccination partners, will start providing a free monoclonal antibody therapy for COVID-19 at a new clinic in Charlotte this week.
StarMed expects to start administering Regeneron’s therapy, called REGEN-COV, on Thursday at 491 N. Wendover Road.
The newly-leased clinic has 14 private rooms for the therapy, which is under emergency use authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for infected people ages 12 and older who “are at high risk for progression to severe COVID-19, including hospitalization or death.”
Between the new clinic and an existing Eastland clinic (5344 Central Ave., Suite B), StarMed will be able to administer 150 doses daily, the practice said in a news release Monday. The treatment is given through an IV infusion or injection, followed by 60 minutes of observation for side effects.
“REGEN-COV is produced by taking the natural immunity from a covid-positive donor and replicating the antibody protein that is specific to fighting COVID-19,” StarMed says. “The antibodies remain in the patient’s system for 30 to 90 days. Minor side effects include nausea and dizziness, while serious side effects are rare.”
The antibody treatment reduces the mortality rate of COVID-19, according to StarMed. It also decreases coronavirus symptoms and viral loads, making patients less contagious, StarMed says.
The FDA says REGEN-COV is not a substitute for COVID-19 vaccines. But the antibody treatment can be used for unvaccinated people with mild to moderate cases of the virus.
StarMed says people who are vaccinated but immunocompromised can also receive REGEN-COV.
The therapy is not for coronavirus patients with severe symptoms, as well as those needing increased oxygen, StarMed says. Vaccinated people who were exposed to the virus but can “mount a good response” do not need REGEN-COV, StarMed says.
Appointments can be scheduled online at Starmed.care/antibody.
This story was originally published August 23, 2021 at 2:36 PM.