First COVID-19 Antibody Cocktail Approved in US

United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved AstraZeneca's first anti-COVID-19 drug containing antibodies. It is designed to prevent infection in immunocompromised and vulnerable people.

The drug, officially called Evushield, is a combination of two monoclonal antibodies, thixagevimab and cilgavimab. They are given by intramuscular injection and provide reliable protection against infection for up to six months.

The antibodies were originally isolated by researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in recovered COVID-19 patients in 2020. AstraZeneca licensed the results and then optimized the antibodies to increase their stability and extend the decay period.

Evushield has been tested as a prophylactic agent for individuals at high risk for severe disease, hospitalized patients with COVID-19 and those who have been exposed to the virus but have not yet tested positive test result. It was found that the treatment is most effective for the first group of subjects - it is for them that the FDA approved the use of the drug.

With a six-month follow-up in the third phase of testing, Evushield proved to be effective, reducing the likelihood of symptomatic COVID-19 by 83%. In trial participated and unvaccinated people, but FDA clearance primarily targets vaccinated people who do not have an effective immune response.

The FDA's Emergency Use of Evushield clearly states that this treatment is not an alternative to vaccinations or treatments for COVID-19 in those who already test positive. Treatment is only authorized as additional protection for the most vulnerable populations, such as those undergoing chemotherapy or taking immunosuppressants. In the United States, this is at least 7 million people, and there are many more of them around the world.