- [Johnson] SamanthaMottet tested positive

for COVID-19 in March.

Two weeks later, she appeared near death

in an intensive care unit.

- I had moments of gosh,55 years went by so fast,

I'm not gonna see my children again,

I'm not gonna see my parents,my future grandchildren.

- [Johnson] As a livertransplant recipient,

Samantha was consideredhigh-risk for complications.

- I had an overwhelming support

from my friends and family praying for me.

They were all praying for a miracle

that I would survive this.

- [Johnson] Her doctor tried a number

of experimental drugs without success.

- She certainly had not improved,

so she had been on the ventilatorfor several days already

and her condition was still critical

and not improving at that point,

so I thought that wedidn't have much to lose.

- [Johnson] Then heinjected with Leronlimab,

a drug originally developed to treat HIV.

- About a day or two days later,

the amount of oxygen sherequired on a ventilator

started to go down, sothe amount of oxygen

being exchanged in herlungs started to improve.

And then a couple more days later,

she was actually able toget off the ventilator.

- And then what happened to her?

- Then she went home.

- It was my last hope and ifit were not for that drug,

I truly would not be here today.

- [Johnson] Dr. Yang hasalso given Leronlimab

to several other patients.

- [Dr. Yang] Yes.- How'd they do?

- It's been a mixture

and many of them have improved.

Not everyone.

- Leronlimab is a monoclonal antibody

designed to calm theoften-deadly cytokine storm,

an extreme immune system overreaction.

- If we can stop the death,this is just the flu,

it won't do anything.

The whole country can be reopened

and everybody's gonna be safe,

if this works the way we think.

- [Johnson] The FDA designated Leronlimab

as an "emergencyinvestigational new drug".

- That requires the physician personally

to contact the FDA, producecertain types of information,

and get approval.

So it's fairly time consuming

and it's a barrier to giving it.

- People are dying right now.

They're asking us for drug

and when we send it to them,

a couple occasions they got the drug

and they were dead already.

- [Johnson] CytoDyn,the drug's manufacturer,

is requesting the FDA upgrade Leronlimab

to compassionate use status.

Studies testing Leronlimabon patients with mild

and more severe cases, likeSamantha's, are also underway.

- Every morning since I've been home,

the first thing I do when I open my eyes,

I look up, I put my hands together,

and I thank God for giving me another day.

And I go to bed at night thanking Him.

- [Johnson] Lorie Johnson, CBN News.