Great news for the immunocompromised, this antibody can vaccinate them as well as a regular vaccine. This means almost everybody can now be protected, including cancer patients and those with compromised immune systems.
A Covid drug derived from the immune cells of virus survivors gives better protection than vaccines after six months and could last for a year, trial results suggest.
news.yahoo.com
AstraZeneca Covid antibody treatment ‘more effective than vaccines after six months’
A Covid drug derived from the immune cells of virus survivors gives better protection than vaccines after six months and could last for a year, trial results suggest.
On Thursday, AstraZeneca announced that its AZD7442 antibody injection reduces the risk of symptomatic Covid by 83 per cent six months after a single dose.
In contrast, vaccine protection
can wane substantially in the months following an injection even after two doses, with the AstraZeneca vaccine falling to around 40 per cent effectiveness and Pfizer about 60 per cent.
AstraZeneca said the artificial antibodies appeared to last longer than the vaccine and a single injection could offer protection for a year, although they have not yet been trialled in large populations.
The vaccines also initially showed higher protective effect in trials than real-world settings, although they were hampered by the emergence of
the delta variant. In contrast, AZD7442 was trialled at a time when delta was rampant.
Hugh Montgomery, professor of intensive care medicine at University College London and the AZD7442 principal investigator, said: "These compelling results give me confidence that this long-acting antibody combination can provide my vulnerable patients with the long-lasting protection they urgently need to finally return to their everyday lives.
"Importantly, six months of protection was maintained despite the surge of the delta variant among these high-risk participants who may not respond adequately to vaccination."
A separate trial shows the drug also reduces the risk of severe Covid and death by 88 per cent when given within three days of the onset of symptoms.
The injection could be a breakthrough in treatment for elderly and
immunocompromised people who cannot mount an adequate immune response against the virus even after vaccination.
The research of both trials has been submitted for peer review and is expected to be published in the coming weeks.
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www.deseret.com
