Omicron may set aside two major drugs for COVID-19

Washington — Doctors warn of yet another challenge as a tense US hospital prepares for a new surge in COVID-19 cases caused by a rapidly expanding variant of Omicron. New stock.

Regeneron and Eli Lilly antibody therapies have been used to treat early COVID-19 for over a year because they can avoid serious illness and keep patients away from hospitalization.

However, both pharmaceutical companies have recently suggested that laboratory tests are much weaker in their treatment against Omicron, which contains dozens of mutations that make it difficult for antibodies to attack the virus. I warned that. The two companies say they can rapidly develop new Omicron-targeted antibodies, but they have no plans to launch them for at least a few months.

The third antibody from the British pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline seems to be in the best position to fight Omicron. However, Glaxo’s drug is not widely available in the United States and accounts for only a small percentage of the millions of doses purchased and distributed by the federal government. US health authorities are currently allocating supplies of shortage medicines to states.

“I think there will be a shortage,” said Dr. Jonathan Lee, director of the Harvard / Brigham Virology Institute. Due to the reduced effectiveness of the Regeneron and Lily drugs, “one FDA-approved monoclonal antibody” was used with Omicron.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, delta variants still account for more than 95% of estimated cases in the United States. However, agency leaders say Omicron will spread faster than any other variety in the past and will become the dominant strain nationwide within a few weeks.

Antibodies delivered by injection or infusion are laboratory-made versions of human proteins that help the immune system fight viruses and other infections.

According to the two companies, the Glaxo drug developed by Vir Biotechnology was specifically prescribed to bind to some of the viruses that are unlikely to mutate. Early laboratory-simulated studies of Omicron by pharmaceutical companies and outside researchers show promising results.

The US Department of Health and Human Services said in a statement posted online that the drug’s supply was “very limited and additional doses of the product would not be available until the week of January 3rd.”

After suspending distribution last month to save supply, HHS is now shipping a 55,000 dose of drug called sotrovimab to the state’s health department, which will arrive on Tuesday. An additional 300,000 are expected in January.

Authorities said they were distributing the drug to the state based on the level of infection and hospitalization.

HHS states that the state will store drugs for patients most likely to be infected with Omicron, based on laboratory tests that can identify community-wide mutations or elevated levels of Omicron, identified as 20% or higher. Recommended.

High-risk patients include the elderly and those with serious health problems such as obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and immune system disorders.

Prior to the suspension of shipments, Glaxo’s drug accounted for approximately 10% of the 1.8 million antibody doses distributed to state health authorities from mid-September to late November, according to federal statistics. rice field.

London-based Glaxo says it plans to produce 2 million doses by May under contracts with the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Japan, and several other countries. .. The company is working on adding manufacturing capacity next year.

The loss of two major antibody therapies further focuses on the long-awaited pair of antivirals that US regulators are expected to soon approve.

Pfizer and Merck medicines will be the first treatment Americans can take at home to prevent serious illness. Pfizer’s drugs are particularly powerful, reducing hospitalization and death in high-risk patients by almost 90%.

“If deployed effectively, this has real potential,” said Andrew Pekosi, a virologist at Johns Hopkins University. “It’s an immediate place where these antivirals can minimize the effects of Omicron.”

Nevertheless, the initial supply of both drugs is expected to be limited.

The shrinking treatment toolbox reminds us that the virus still has the upper hand in the United States, even though more than 200 million Americans have been fully vaccinated.

Scientists around the world understand Omicron, including whether it causes more or less serious illness and how easily it avoids protection from previous infections, vaccinations, and antibody drugs. Are competing to do.

Dr. James Cattlell of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center said: “A deficiency of antibodies will increase the number of patients who need to be in the hospital.”