UPMC to allocate COVID drug
UPMC plans to allocate limited doses of a new monoclonal antibody combination called Evusheld, designed to prevent COVID-19 infections in immunocompromised individuals who may not respond as well to vaccination.
Dr. Erin McCreary, director of antimicrobial stewardship innovation and infectious diseases pharmacist, explained the health system's plans to distribute the treatment at a virtual news conference on Thursday afternoon.
“This is a really big deal for our patients who have been anxiously waiting for another way to protect themselves from COVID-19,” McCreary said. “Our patients with compromised immune systems may not respond as robustly to COVID-19 vaccination as other patients. While these patients should absolutely still be vaccinated, it's very exciting for us to have an additional long-acting antibody medication that serves as an extra layer of protection for some of our most vulnerable patients.”
Evusheld was developed by AstraZeneca, and authorized through emergency use authorization by the FDA Dec. 8. It is approved for adults and children 12 years of age and older weighing at least 88 pounds who are not currently infected with COVID-19 and have not been recently exposed to a positive case.
The FDA advises that Evusheld is not recommended as a substitute for vaccination for those for whom vaccination is recommended, but the treatment can serve as pre-exposure prevention for people who may not mount an adequate immune response to vaccines, such as transplant patients and cancer patients.
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