Regeneron CEO Says US Gov’t Secured 300k Doses With $450 Million Contract
Regeneron CEO Leonard Schleifer said that US government has managed to secure around 300,000 doses of the antibody cocktail through a $450 million contract. Samuel Corum/Getty Images

Regeneron CEO Leonard Schleifer said that US government has managed to secure around 300,000 doses of the antibody cocktail through a $450 million contract.

"They bought from us several hundred thousand, maybe around 300,000 doses, which they are going to make it for free," Schleifer was quoted in a CBS News report.

Schleifer added that they cannot do this along, saying that they need the entire industry. The administration earlier announced in July that it sealed a deal with Regeneron for the supply of treatement.

Schleifer said that the US government with ethics experts at the Food and Drug Administration will have to decide who receives the limited supply.

He said that they try to give a dose to the people who most need it, who would most benefit from it, which are the vulnerable people, elderly people, and people who are at risk.

The founder and CEO of Regeneron said that they have to figure out ways to ration the antibody cocktail.

Trump Using Regeneron

US President Donald Trump has been given a single dose of Regeneron's antibody cocktail after he was diagnosed with COVID-19.

Trump has praised the said antibody cocktail and even touted it as a "cure" for the virus.

Schleifer replied to Trump's statement saying that the cocktail administered to Trump to treat COVID-19 was merely a "case report" or singular occurrence.

"It is evidence of what's happening, but it's kind of the weakest evidence that you can get," Schleifer was quoted in a report.

The CEO also said that there are some very interesting factors to the president's case, including age, risk factors, and immune system.

He added that the real evidence of the drug's effectiveness will be from the larger, randomized clinical trials.

Schleifer added that they have got preliminary evidence and that they have already talked with the FDA.

He also revealed that they are going for an emergency use authorization as they think it is appropriate.

The company's CEO admitted that the president's case is a case report and perhaps the most analyzed case report ever.

"But it's just low down on the evidence scale that we really need," he was quoted.

Moderna Vaccine

Meanwhile, Moderna said that it would not enforce its patents related to COVID-19 vaccine during the pandemic.

This is to not deter any other companies and researchers from making similar shots.

Moderna decided to make the decision as investors started seeing that the company has patents that might apply to other COVID-19 vaccine, according to the company's president, Stephen Hoge.

James Love, director of the consumer group Knowledge Ecology International, said that Moderna's cdecisions are "very good," adding that it should be matched by every manufacturer of a therapeutic, vaccine or diagnostic test.

Knowledge Ecology International criticized Moderna's patents earlier, saying that the company should participate in pools established by the World Health Organization and United Nations.

On the other hand, WHO hailed Moderna's move not to apply COVID-19 vaccine patents while there is an ongoing pandemic.

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