What is Regeneron, the drug Trump is touting as a lifesaver?

After US President Donald Trump hailed Regeneron drug as life saver, Covid-19 patients are now asking to join clinical trials of antibody-based drug.

President Trump posted a video on Wednesday saying that he was treated with an experimental therapy from Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc, and promised to make it free to Americans while touting its benefits.

The drug is essentially a monoclonal antibody cocktail developed by Regeneron. The president received an 8-gram infusion under a 'compassionate use' exemption when he was hospitalized over the weekend after testing positive for Covid-19.

Interestingly, the drug was developed using human cells originally obtained from an elective abortion. Regeneron is not available to the public and has been tested on only 275 people to date.

While the pharma company has asked federal regulators to authorize its antibody treatment for Covid-19 for emergency use, experts say more data is needed to assess the treatment’s efficacy, before wider use is allowed.