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'Very promising': COVID-19 drug used to treat President Trump being used in clinical trial for North Texas patients

At CareFirst Primary and Wellness Center in Red Oak, there are two ongoing trials for a monoclonal antibody drug. It's the same drug given to President Donald Trump.

RED OAK, Texas — "Very promising," said Dr. Haresh Boghara. Those are the words he used to describe a clinical trial for COVID-19. 

At CareFirst Primary and Wellness Center in Red Oak, there are two ongoing trials for a monoclonal antibody cocktail. It's the same drug given to President Donald Trump after his coronavirus diagnosis.

"Somebody who has all the world's scientists to be at his disposal, and at the end of the day, they went with this drug first," said Dr. Boghara. "That is something available in this small town in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, so that is special." 

Dr. Boghara has 27 people participating in each trial. 

Monte Montez and his wife, Debra Wayne Montez, are two of them. Both tested positive for COVID-19 on Labor Day. Monte had more severe symptoms than Debra.

Debra said, "Both of us are high risk, so we decided we should go for it."

Her husband agreed, "We were lucky. We were fortunate." 

They are grateful to be part of the clinical trial. 

They were each given a dose, not knowing if they received the actual drug or a placebo. The couple was then monitored closely for 29 days. They recovered at home.

It's been about two months since Dr. Boghara and his team started the clinical trial. 

"Believe it or not, but majority of the patients who are in the trial get really good relief in about 7 to 10 days," he said. 

In order to qualify for the trial, a person must test positive for COVID-19 within 72 hours. The drug supplements antibodies in the immune system. 

Dr. Boghara said the hope is to help reduce the symptoms of the virus, and help people recover.

For more information on the clinical trial, call 972-777-6956.

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