New COVID variants are showing signs of evading Evusheld’s defences. | liammannix
A drug called Evusheld has been protecting Australians with weakened immune systems, including cancer patients, from COVID.AstraZeneca, the drug’s sponsor, wants to double the dose - but that could cost the federal government more than $1 billion.A powerful drug that helps protect Australians with weakened immune systems from COVID-19 may be less effective if the federal government does not approve a double dose of the antibody.
Many Australians who are vulnerable to infections – including cancer sufferers whose immune systems are suppressed as part of their treatment – rely on regular injections of the long-lasting antibody cocktail Evusheld to protect them against COVID-19.Evusheld contains a cocktail of antibodies that offer protection against COVID-19.The drug’s sponsor AstraZeneca is aware of the problem: the company has applied to Australia’s drug regulator to double the dose to try to increase protection.
“To me, COVID [is] trying to kill the weak – and I’m the weak,” said Holly, a healthcare worker with a primary immune deficiency. Holly, like many Australians with compromised immune systems, relies on Evusheld to help protect her from COVID-19. She could not attend family Christmas last year. This year, with Evusheld’s protection, she is hoping to go.Holly, who requested that her surname not be published, has had five shots of COVID-19 vaccines. But with her body struggling to generate antibodies, it is not clear how well vaccination protects her.Evusheld replaces Holly’s missing antibodies with copies of antibodies taken from people who have already beaten the virus.
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