CVS Health was selected by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), as part of Operation Warp Speed, to pilot the administration of a limited supply of bamlanivimab, a monoclonal antibody therapy, with eligible COVID-19 patients at risk of severe infection or complications resulting from the virus. The selection underscores the role of CVS Health as a diversified health services company and expands work underway with HHS and Operation Warp Speed as CVS Health also prepares to administer COVID-19 vaccines
COVID-19 Therapy Pilot Details
Under this pilot, Coram, the specialty pharmacy and infusion care business of CVS Health, will administer the intravenous therapy in patients’ homes or long-term care facilities to help meet the growing demand for these new treatments. Coram and its more than 800 certified and highly trained nurses across the country are a prime example of how CVS Health offers diversified health services to transform health and meet people where they are – whether in normal times or during the ongoing pandemic.
Details of the pilot include:
– Coram will begin administering 1,000 doses of monoclonal antibody therapies for the treatment of COVID-19.
– The pilot will be available in Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, Minneapolis and Tampa, and their surrounding communities starting Thursday, December 3. Following the pilot, Coram will scale this solution to additional markets in areas of greatest need.
– To be eligible, and in accordance with the therapy’s Emergency Use Authorization (EUA), patients must not be hospitalized, be within 10 days of symptom onset, at least 12 years of age or older, weighing at least 40 kilograms (or 88.2 pounds), and at high risk for progressing to severe disease and/or hospitalization.
– There is no out-of-pocket cost to the patient for this care.
Why It Matters
As COVID-19 rates surge in many parts of the country, Coram also has worked to help keep patients out of inpatient and hospital settings altogether, alleviating pressure on the health care system and preserving important hospital resources for the most critical patients. Since early in the pandemic, Coram has partnered with hospitals to safely transition eligible infusion patients home to help ensure hospital bed capacity to treat COVID-19 patients. Importantly, today’s announcement also expands the integral role of CVS Health on the front lines in the fight against COVID-19. This includes work underway with HHS and Operation Warp Speed to administer COVID-19 vaccines when available, as well as a national COVID-19 testing infrastructure, which has enabled the company to perform more than eight million tests across more than 4,300 retail testing locations and onsite at workplaces and campuses around the country since the start of the pandemic.
“Patients can rest assured they are receiving the best care possible through Coram in the safety and comfort of their own home or long-term care facility, and Coram is poised to continue to meet shifting health care demands as the importance and value of home-based care will undoubtedly outlive the pandemic,” added Prem Shah, Pharm.D., Executive Vice President of CVS Specialty and Product Innovation. “This established and experienced clinical service further demonstrates CVS Health’s unique ability to touch all aspects of a person’s health to make their experience more accessible and affordable.”
