Long-lasting antibody mix effective against Omicron’s covid sub-variants including BA.2, known as Omicron 2. The European Medicines Agency Ema had also mentioned this, explaining last week that it could soon comment on the application for authorization marketing presented in recent days. Now AstraZeneca in a statement releases data from new independent studies showing that the mix of tixagevimab and cilgavimab has “potent neutralizing activity” against the highly transmissible sub-variant BA.2, as well as against Omicron BA.1 and BA. 1.1. This is preclinical data on live viruses from Washington University School of Medicine.
Furthermore, in vivo data generated using mice infected with Omicron BA.1, BA.1.1 and BA.2 demonstrated that Evusheld significantly reduced viral load and limited inflammation in the lungs for all three sub-variants. The study used a transgenic mouse model to evaluate the combination of monoclonals in pre-exposure prophylaxis (prevention) of Covid, similar to how it is used in the clinic. These are, AstraZeneca explains, the first in vivo data evaluating the efficacy of Evusheld against Omicron variants compared to previous in vitro assays in cultured cells. The Washington University results have been reported online in a preprint version on the ‘BioRxiv’ platform.
“These new data on a mouse model in vivo confirm the previous results of the neutralization activity in vitro against Omicron – explains Michael S. Diamond, Department of Medicine, Molecular Microbiology, Pathology and Immunology, Washington University – and show that Evusheld was effective. in protection against infection in the lungs, a critical disease site for severe Covid-19, in all Omicron sub-variants tested. “
The findings, points out John Perez, Senior Vice President, Head of Late Development, Vaccines & Immune Therapies at AstraZeneca, “further support” the monoclonal mix “as a potential important option to help protect vulnerable patients such as the immunocompromised.” Further data on ‘live’ viruses from the University of Aix-Marseilles and data on pseudoviruses from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also showed that Evusheld neutralizes Omicron 2.
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