XBB, the new variant of omicron, more dangerous for vulnerable people

In the United States, a third of covid infections are due to the new variant of omicron XBB.1.5, also known as kraken, a type of coronavirus that had already proven to be more contagious. But now an alert from the US drug agency, the FDA, also points it out as more resistant than the previous ones. In an update of its communications on its website, it ensures that the antiviral marketed by the pharmaceutical company AztraZeneca, called Evusheld, would not “neutralize” the XBB strain, “due to its similarity” with other variants against which this drug was less effective. Defined as a “combination of monoclonal antibodies” by the Spanish Medicines Agency (Aemps), Evusheld could “not be active” against XBB.1.5.

“This means that Evusheld may not provide protection against the development of covid-19 to people who received it and are later exposed” to this variant, the FDA maintains. “We will provide further updates as new information becomes available.”

In Spain, this antiviral was approved in February 2022 and recommended for “people aged 12 and over who weigh at least 40 kilograms with conditions that present with a high degree of immunosuppression, either due to a pathology or treatment, and who do not they respond adequately to vaccination”, specified the Aemps.

warn patient

The FDA’s announcement requires the health authorities to inform the patients to whom it was supplied and who, due to their diseases, are more vulnerable to the effects of the virus, of this finding. Among the main patients with these doses in Spain were those who had received transplants or suffered from cancer.

As of last month, both Evusheld and bebtelovimab (another monoclonal treatment) were no longer recommended in some US institutions as a preventive therapy for people with weak immune systems, the Smithsonian reported. It is also no longer an option for pre-exposure prophylaxis for covid-19.