MICHIGAN - Governor Gretchen Whitmer, along with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, announced the state is expanding monoclonal antibody therapy to reduce hospitalizations and deaths due to COVID-19.

“We are using every mitigation strategy, every medication, and every treatment option to fight the virus here in Michigan,” said Governor Whitmer. “These antibody treatments could keep you out of the hospital and save your life.”

Monoclonal antibodies are laboratory-produced molecules that can restore, enhance or mimic the immune system’s attack on cells. Clinical trials have shown promising data that this therapy works for the treatment of COVID-19.

Data suggests more than 6,600 Michiganders have received this treatment, with 65% reporting feeling better with two days of treatment.

“We have been treating patients with monoclonal antibodies over the last five months, and we can attest to its success,” said Adnan Munkarah, M.D., Executive Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer, Henry Ford Health System.

This therapy can ease patients’ side effects with COVID-19 and ease the burden on hospitals and caregivers. It is administered through an intravenous infusion and is designed for those who have tested positive for COVID-19 and have mild to moderate symptoms.

According to the FDA, this therapy is only effective against the B.1.1.7 (UK) variant, the predominant form of COVID currently in Michigan.

Additional information on monoclonal antibody therapy can be found at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Combating COVID website and Michigan.gov/COVIDTherapy.