US approves AstraZeneca’s long-acting antibody combination ‘Evusheld’ for emergency use
AstraZeneca’s antibody drug Evusheld has been granted emergency approval by the United States for people with serious health problems or allergies who do not receive adequate protection from the usual vaccinations against the coronavirus pandemic. The first dose of this drug, which builds long resistance against this virus in such people, is expected to be available soon.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved this drug on Wednesday. It is the first drug that will provide long-term protection against infection. The dosage of this medicine will be given to people aged 12 years or more who weigh more than 44 kg whose body’s immune system does not provide adequate protection against the virus due to a health problem.
These people can be given this antibody drug
Along with this, this drug has also been allowed to be given to those people for whom Covid-19 vaccination has not been recommended. However, to take this medicine, it is necessary that the person should not be infected with the corona virus while taking the medicine or has not come in contact with any corona infected person in the past. Cancer patients, organ transplanters, people suffering from diseases like arthritis can take this medicine.
A single dose can provide long-term protection
Mene Pangalos, Executive Vice President, BioPharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, said: “We are proud to play a leading role in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic and, with Evusheld, we now have the first antibody therapy authorised in the US to prevent COVID-19 symptoms before virus exposure, while also providing long lasting protection with a single dose. Evusheld neutralises all previous SARs-CoV-2 variants to date, and we are working quickly to establish its efficacy against the new Omicron variant. We thank our clinical trial participants, the investigators, scientists, and government agencies and our colleagues at AstraZeneca who have all contributed to the development of Evusheld.”
Research being done to know the effect on Omicron
Studies are underway to provide information on the impact of the new Omicron variant (B.1.1.529) on Evusheld. Of the Omicron binding site substitutions relevant to Evusheld that have been tested to date in preclinical assays, none have been associated with escape from Evusheld neutralisation.10,11 In vitro findings demonstrate Evusheld neutralises other recent emergent SARS-CoV-2 viral variants, including the Delta and Mu variants.
