Antibody drug Evusheld approved to prevent Covid in people with weak immune systems

drug named Evusheld has been approved to prevent Covid in people with weak immune systems, the government has confirmed.Evusheld was authorised by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) today ( March 17), after meeting the UK regulatory standards of safety, quality and effectiveness.The drug, which was developed by AstraZeneca, was accepted for treatment after being endorsed by the government’s independent expert scientific advisory body, the Commission on Human Medicines.Evusheld is a combination of two long-acting antibodies that works by binding to the spike protein on the outside of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the virus that causes Covid-19.

This in turn stops the disease from fixing to and entering human cells.The new medicine is permitted to be used before being exposed to the risk of Covid-19 infection in order to prevent disease.

Evusheld has been authorised for use in adults who are unlikely to mount an immune response from a vaccination or for whom vaccination is not suggested.

Recipients should not be currently infected with or had recent known exposure to a person infected with the Covid-19 virus.A single dose of the two medicines, tixagevimab and cilgavimab, should be given as two injections into a muscle by a healthcare professional.In a clinical trial in adults, Evusheld was found to reduce the risk of developing symptomatic Covid-19 by 77%, with protection from the virus continuing for at least 6 months following a single dose.There is not yet enough data to know how effective Evusheld is against Omicron or the duration of its effect against this variant, and the MHRA will work with the company to establish this.Dr June Raine, MHRA Chief Executive said: “After a careful review of the.