The long awaited statewide Regional Infusion Center for eligible monoclonal antibody infusion patients is now open!
REGEN-COV is a valuable tool in the fight against Covid that is only available for patients in the community setting. It can have lifesaving effects by minimizing illness and reducing the burden of patients progressing to hospitalization.
Not only is REGEN-COV approved for usage in high risk Covid + patients not yet requiring hospitalization, but it is also approved for high-risk patients needing post exposure prophylaxis. It is vital that our community of outpatient physicians become familiar with REGEN-COV and utilize this outpatient treatment.
Heretofore, monoclonal antibody has been available only in very limited capacity at 4 freestanding ER facilities in the Austin Area. Now, with the help of State resources and the Capital Area of Texas Regional Advisory Council (CATRAC), a full-service Regional Infusion Center is now available for scheduling patient referrals 7 days a week.
Please see below for information on treatment and for links to the scheduling and order forms.
Nancy Thorne Foster, MD
TCMS President
Referral Form:
Statewide-RIC-Infusion-Referral-Form.pdf (catrac.org)
Infusion Hotline (for information): 1-800-742-5990
Email (to email referral): InfusionReferral@bcfs.net
Fax Number (to fax referral): 210-208-5295
Go to
Statewide-RIC-Infusion-Referral-Form.pdf (catrac.org) to access the
Referral Form needed to send your patients for monoclonal antibody infusion therapy. Your patient can be scheduled for their appointment on Monday through Sunday from 8am to 6pm by calling 1-800-742-5990.
Announcing the opening of a Regional Infusion Center for Monoclonal Antibody Infusions (MAI) for our patients. As you know MAI is recommended for eligible COVID-19 positive patients who are 12 years and older, up to 10 days after symptom onset and for post exposure prophylaxis.
Treatment:
REGEN-COV is authorized for the treatment of mild to moderate coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in adults and pediatric patients (12 years of age and older weighing at least 40 kg) with positive results of direct SARS-CoV-2 viral testing, and who are at high risk for progression to severe COVID-19, including hospitalization or death.
Post-Exposure Prophylaxis:
REGEN-COV is authorized in adult and pediatric individuals (12 years of age and older weighing at least 40 kg) for post-exposure prophylaxis of COVID-19 in individuals who are at high risk for progression to severe COVID-19, including hospitalization or death, and are:
•
not fully vaccinated or who are not expected to mount an adequate immune response to complete SARS-CoV-2 vaccination (for example, individuals with immunocompromising conditions including those taking immunosuppressive medications)
and
o
have been exposed to an individual infected with SARS-CoV-2 consistent with close contact criteria per Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),
or
o
who are at high risk of exposure to an individual infected with SARS-CoV-2 because of occurrence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in other individuals in the same institutional setting (for example, nursing homes, prisons)
The following medical conditions or other factors may place adults and pediatric patients (age 12-17 years and weighing at least 40 kg) at higher risk for progression to severe COVID-19:
•
Older age (for example, age ≥65 years of age)
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Obesity or being overweight (for example, BMI >25 kg/m2, or if age 12-17, have BMI ≥85th percentile for their age and gender based on CDC growth charts,
https://www.cdc.gov/growthcharts/clinical_charts.htm )
•
Pregnancy
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Chronic kidney disease
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Diabetes
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Immunosuppressive disease or immunosuppressive treatment
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Cardiovascular disease (including congenital heart disease) or hypertension
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Chronic lung diseases (for example, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma [moderate-to-severe], interstitial lung disease, cystic fibrosis, and pulmonary hypertension)
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Sickle cell disease
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Neurodevelopmental disorders (for example, cerebral palsy) or other conditions that confer medical complexity (for example, genetic or metabolic syndromes and severe congenital anomalies)
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Having a medical-related technological dependence (for example, tracheostomy, gastrostomy, or positive pressure ventilation (not related to COVID-19))
Other medical conditions or factors (for example, race or ethnicity) may also place individual patients at high risk for progression to severe COVID-19 and authorization of REGEN-COV under the EUA is not limited to the medical conditions or factors listed above.
treatment-covid19-eua-fact-sheet-for-hcp.pdf (regeneron.com)
REGEN-COV can be given by IV infusion over 20 minutes or by four subcutaneous injections in the abdomen. Patients are observed for one hour after the medication is administered.