Regeneron Supply to Be Reduced for Permian Basin Hospitals

MIDLAND, TX –– Hospitals in the Permian Basin are facing new challenges in the fight against COVID-19 as the supply of Regeneron will decrease.

According to Midland Memorial Hospital, the use of the two-drug cocktail will be significantly reduced as the state's supply will be cut in half.

The decision to reduce supply comes after a report showed that approximately 70 percent of Regeneron therapy treatments used in the U.S. are in states with low vaccination states.

According to John Hopkins University, Texas has fully vaccinated a little over 50 percent of the state's residents.

According to the Mayo Clinic, the five states with the lowest vaccination rates for residents between the ages of 18 to 64 are the following:

• West Virginia –– 38.9%
• Wyoming –– 41.8%
• Alabama –– 43.1%
• Mississippi –– 44.3%
• Louisana –– 46.7%

Texas is currently 27th on that list for that age group. All states have vaccinated more than 75 percent of their residents that are over the age of 65.

According to MMH President and CEO Russell Meyers, on average MMH provides Regeneron infusions to 40 patients a day. 

Effective immediately, the criteria for MMH patients who are eligible for the treatment has been updated to only include the following:

• High-risk patients
• Patients over the age of 50
• Patients with a body mass index over 35
• Patients with other comorbid conditions

According to Dr. Rohith Saravanan, Chief Medical Officer of Odessa Regional Medical Center, the easiest way to reduce the stress on the Regenreaon demand is to be vaccinated. This could also help reduce the amount of tax dollars that are used to pay for these treatments.

“Each Regeneron cocktail, that two-drug cocktail, per infusion on average costs about one thousand two hundred and fifty per infusion, one thousand two hundred and fifty dollars; the COVID-19 vaccine on average costs twenty dollars, so just look at the difference between what you can achieve with so much lower cost for the entire system,

The Regeneron criteria for patients at Odessa Regional has not been updated at this time.