U.S. Renal Care to administer COVID-19 antibody therapy at dialysis clinics
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U.S. Renal Care announced it is in the process of obtaining bamlanivimab, a monoclonal antibody therapy that has received emergency use authorization by the FDA for the treatment of mild-to-moderate COVID-19.
The company will begin administering the therapy to patients at 16 of its outpatient dialysis facilities, chosen based on infection rates in these areas, according to a press release. Facilities that will initially receive the therapy include those located in California, Georgia Hawaii, Maryland, New Mexico, Ohio, South Carolina and Texas.
"Our internal data [are] consistent with data from CMS that demonstrate extraordinarily high rates of hospitalization for Medicare beneficiaries with end-stage kidney disease who contract COVID-19," Mary Dittrich, MD, FASN, chief medical officer for U.S. Renal Care, said in the release. "Having the ability to administer monoclonal antibody therapy to high-risk, COVID-19-positive patients in our clinics, where they already receive dialysis care three times a week, may reduce hospitalizations and save lives."
The release offered more specifics on bamlanivimab (Eli Lilly), noting that it is administered as an IV infusion within 10 days of symptom onset.
“During the pandemic, it is vitally important to lead with innovation to keep our patients safe and ensure they receive uninterrupted care,” Dittrich said. “This includes reducing hospital admissions by providing access to cutting-edge therapeutic options for our COVID-19-positive patients that they might otherwise not receive. We look forward to working with the entire kidney care community to expand patient access to this potentially life-saving therapy.”
Regarding the broader kidney care community, officials at both DaVita Kidney Care and Fresenius Kidney Care told Healio Nephrology they will make the therapy available at their dialysis clinics.
“Like fellow U.S. dialysis providers, we are working with Operation Warp Speed to make these therapies available upon physician order for appropriate patients under the emergency use authorization,” DaVita Kidney Care commented in a statement.
Fresenius Kidney Care officials said these therapies are already administered to patients with COVID-19 treated separately in isolation centers.
“These new antibody therapies are an important tool to effectively treat confirmed cases of COVID-19 in dialysis patients,” added Jeffrey L. Hymes, MD, EVP, global head of clinical affairs and chief medical officer for Fresenius. “Since the emergency use authorization was issued and specifically indicated use for people with chronic kidney disease, we have been preparing for the rollout of these therapies in our dialysis centers. Our first patients will receive the antibody therapy this week, and our clinical services team is actively providing education and training to support these efforts.”
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