Ben Barker has been living his life far more cautiously than most during the past two years, but a new drug is set to help immunocompromised people such as him.
Immunocompromised people who have struggled through the past two years of the pandemic will have an extra shield available to them, with a new anti-COVID drug approved for use in Australia.
Such medication reduces the body’s immune system, meaning even with three shots of vaccine against COVID-19 and a fourth scheduled, Mr Barker is still at a much higher risk of developing severe symptoms of the disease and even dying.“Particularly over the past few months, [as the] cases have really blown out, it’s been quite terrifying – the list of things I can do is much shorter than the list of things I can’t do.
Infectious diseases expert Paul Griffin, who sits on Australia’s AstraZeneca advisory board, said the drug was the sort of tool clinicians had been waiting for to help people like Mr Barker. Professor Griffin, the director of infectious diseases at Mater Health in Queensland, said the therapy was a long-lasting combination that could provide protection for patients for up to six months.“Antibody therapies which have been implemented so far have been used for treatment in response to people testing positive,” he said.
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