St. Joe’s monoclonal antibody clinic shows ‘remarkable’ results for COVID patients

The first COVID patient to receive a new therapy in Ontario said she felt better within days of the treatment that is expected to soon be available in more cities.

Hamilton resident Joan MacDonald visited the St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton monoclonal antibody clinic the morning it opened on Oct 19. It's the first clinic of its kind in Ontario, and one of the first in Canada.

I felt wonderful afterwards," the 78-year-old said. It arrested my congestion."

The downtown resident tested positive for COVID and was invited to try the therapy. After thinking about it and consulting with others, she signed up.

At the Charlton Avenue clinic, she received an IV that dripped a coloured fluid into her arm. She was out of the clinic in an hour and a half.

By the weekend, I was back to normal," MacDonald said.

A monoclonal antibody is a lab-made protein that attaches to the spike protein of COVID-19 to stop the virus from infecting healthy cells.

Two months after launching, the outpatient clinic is showing remarkable" results, said Dr. Zain Chagla, who's running the clinic. The therapy is likely to reach other cities soon."

The St. Joe's clinic opened as a pilot to reduce hospitalization among high-risk COVID-19 patients. That includes unvaccinated patients over 50, or younger patients who are pregnant or have certain health conditions including hypertension, asthma, obesity and diabetes. Cancer patients on active chemotherapy, those with bone marrow or kidney transplants and people on some immune suppressing medications are also eligible even if they're vaccinated.

Individuals must test positive for COVID-19 and have symptoms for seven days or less to qualify.

The vast majority" of the 54 patients treated by Dec. 9 didn't need hospitalization, and none of those who got the therapy within five days of showing symptoms did either, said an email from St. Joe's spokesperson Maria Hayes.

Chagla said the therapy went beyond reducing hospitalizations to actually improving patients' quality of life.

Patients went from feeling like they got hit by a truck" to feeling almost back to normal" within two days, said the infectious disease specialist. It's pretty remarkable."

Patients from other public health units are also eligible for the pilot that runs until at least March 2022. But Chagla said work is underway to make the therapy available at more places in Ontario using Hamilton's model.

He called on people to get tested early in their symptoms, regardless of vaccination status.

Getting tested is a link to therapeutic options to prevent people from ending up in hospital," he said.

Though the clinic mostly relies on referrals, patients can also call directly and see if they qualify. Visit St. Joe's Monoclonal Antibody Clinic" webpage for details.

Maria Iqbal covers aging issues for The Spectator. miqbal@thespec.com