New Delhi India January 24 ANI India's top virologist Dr Gagandeep Kang has called the prescription of monoclonal antibody therapy by the doctors in private hospitals of the country for the treatment of Omicron variant of COVID patients un-ethical, immoral and unscientific. The medical fraternity has been asked to practice better medicine because monoclonal antibodies treatment for COVID has been excluded from the revised National COVID task force treatment.
In a series of tweets, Dr Kang said that he received a call from a 90-year-old diabetic patient from Chennai who narrated to her that he was advised for the immunotherapy because he was in contact with someone who tested positive for SARS-CoV 2.
A 90-year diabetic uncle in Chennai has said he has advised admission to hospital and antibody treatment because he was in contact with someone who has tested positive for SARS-CoV 2 sparked this thread, she said.
90 per cent or more infections are currently Omicron in Indian cities. We know that the licensed monoclonal antibody products in India do not neutralize omicron. She added in her tweet that doctors in private hospitals are prescribing monoclonal antibody therapy.
The Doctor noted that there is not much data in India, which is why we do not know if the percentage of vaccinated elderly with Omicron will progress.
Most of the clinical vulnerable contacts will stay asymptomatic or have mild symptoms recover. We don't know if 5% or 20% of the elderly with omicron infections will progress in India, because we don't have a lot of data.
In any case, all those who would have gotten better anyway will do fine - but having given antibodies, doctors will ascribe that to their treatment and hospitals will laugh all the way to the bank. The argument I hear from well-meaning doctors thankfully not infectious disease specialists is that it is only one lakh and my patient can afford to buy it, so why not? Dr Kang said that it is unscientific, immoral and unethical to give the treatment with antibodies, and asked doctors to practise better medicine.