While he was in Walter Reed Hospital Trump received several different treatments, including an investigational drug, REGN-COV2, by Regeneron, which hasn’t been approved by the FDA for public use yet, not even as an emergency authorization.
Regeneron’s cure is described as a “cocktail” of antibodies, or proteins, that help fight infection. While the company recently announced early data from trials, the reports haven’t been peer-reviewed yet. The president was administered the drug under the “compassionate use” rule.
Trump also received a five-day course of remdesivir, which is an intravenous drug. It has an emergency use authorization, the first such use for COVID-19. Clinical trials showed this drug to be useful for moderately ill patients with pneumonia from COVID-19.
A steroid called dexamethasone was also part of Trump’s regimen. Dexamethasone was given after the president’s oxygen levels dropped — a move that outsiders criticized since it’s usually given to people on supplemental oxygen.
The president also received a handful of supplements, including zinc, vitamin D, famotidine, melatonin and an aspirin every day. Zinc fights bacteria and viruses; vitamin D has been shown to reduce the risk of COVID-19. The famotidine, or heartburn medication, helps fight stomach acid; melatonin helps fight inflammation.
SOURCE: CNN October 4, 2020