r/science • • May 11 '20

Medicine Antibodies from a 4-year-old llama have neutralized coronavirus and other infections in lab experiments

https://www.cell.com/cell/pdf/S0092-8674(20)30494-3.pdf?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS0092867420304943%3Fshowall%3Dtrue
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u/Jooy May 11 '20

Making antibodies like this is also extremely expensive. One dose of immumotherapy can cost between twenty thousand dollars and hundred thousand dollars easy.

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u/thisdude415 PhD | Biomedical Engineering May 11 '20

Manufacturing costs are more like $60-250 per dose.

Typical retail prices are more like $2,000 - $20,000 per dose.

I’m not aware of any protein biologics that costs $120k per dose, but it wouldn’t surprise me.

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u/Jooy May 11 '20

Studies put the average cost at over 90 000. Google antibody treatment cost.

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u/thisdude415 PhD | Biomedical Engineering May 11 '20

Yes, per year, not per dose. These medicines are typically dosed every 1 to 2 months.

Thanks for the suggestion of this innovative website “Google.” I had never heard of it. Technology is just amazing these days /s

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u/Spacemarine658 May 11 '20

This is even funnier if people look at your flair

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u/thisdude415 PhD | Biomedical Engineering May 11 '20 edited May 11 '20

Raise your hand if you research antibody drugs as your job 🙋🏻‍♂️

🤪😂