The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Saturday issued an emergency use authorization for Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc.'s COVID-19 antibody therapy, an experimental treatment given to U.S. President Donald Trump that he said helped cure him of the disease.

"Authorizing these monoclonal antibody therapies may help outpatients avoid hospitalization and alleviate the burden on our health care system," said Stephen Hahn, commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration.