The Potentials of Monoclonal Antibodies as a COVID-19 Intervention Tool

COVID-19 has been ravaging the world since late December, 2019 and it is not slowing down as the global cumulative counts of confirmed cases and fatalities continue to rise every day. Currently, there is no established cure. Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are the major therapeutic agents for passive immunotherapy in the fight against viral infection. They are increasingly being recognized as a promising class of drugs to combat the novel coronavirus. Besides their therapeutic potentials, infectious disease experts are hopeful that they may also provide short-term protection and could serve as important components of the COVID-19 pandemic response until vaccines become accessible globally. Since the outbreak assumed a global proportion, several biotechnology companies across the globe are developing monoclonal antibodies with the hope it will become an intervention tool in combating the pandemic. Different randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical trials are currently enrolling healthy individuals at clinical trial sites in the United States of America and elsewhere. In addition to assessing their safety, the trials are seeking to establish whether mAbs can prevent infection in susceptible individuals or ameliorate disease symptoms in those already infected. This review takes a look at the available literatures on the role of monoclonal antibodies as an intervention tool for combating the COVID-19 pandemic.