Monoclonal antibodies that have already proven successful in preventing hospitalizations in people who contract COVID-19 may also serve as protection against COVID-19 infection, according to new data. Regeneron said its monoclonal antibody treatment reduced the risk of contracting the disease by 81.6 percent among uninfected persons. The data comes from a phase three trial run by the company with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Researchers followed participants in the trial for eight months. The trial already indicated the combination of the drugs casirivimab and imdevimab, together known as Regen-Cov, was successful in preventing COVID-19 infection in the month following administration. The new data suggest the protection spans for over half a year. “These results demonstrate that REGEN-COV has the potential to provide long-lasting immunity from SARS-CoV-2 infection, a result particularly important to those who do not respond to COVID-19 vaccines including people who are immunocompromised,” Dr. Myron Cohen, …