Copy Link
A health care worker greets a motorist at the Southside Church of Christ in Los Angeles on Jan. 18, 2021, as free rapid COVID-19 antibody and PCR tests are administered to local residents in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
(Ringo Chiu/AFP via Getty Images)
The coronavirus variants are, in a word, confusing.
By now, you have likely heard about different variants that first raised trouble in the United Kingdom, South Africa, Brazil, and now maybe California though the jury is very much out on whether that last one is cause for concern. To make a messy alphabet soup even more jumbled, these variants have unwieldy names, and they each contain mutations with unwieldy names of their own. The result is that people are left trying to differentiate among B.1.1.7 and N501Y and E484K and C-3PO.
Companies race to develop drugs that stay ahead of coronavirus mutations
Photo Reuters
Joseph Walker
, The Wall Street Journal
Covid-19 medicines currently on the market are cumbersome to use, and doctors worry that virus variants could make them less effective
Share Via
Read Full Story
Drugmakers are racing to develop a new generation of Covid-19 medicines to make them easier to give to patients and to stay ahead of virus mutations that could make some current drugs less effective.
The drugs, known as monoclonal antibodies, are lab-engineered versions of antibodies that simulate the body’s natural immune response to viruses. They are considered among the most promising for preventing infected patients from developing severe or fatal symptoms and keeping them out of the hospital. After catching Covid-19, President Trump was treated with one of the drugs and credited it with his speedy recovery. Doctors say the drugs will continue to be important treatments for the foreseea