UC San Diego Health with AstraZeneca’s Evusheld COVID-19 antibody drug – NBC7 San Diego

Some of San Diego’s most immune-compromised people are treated with antibody drugs approved under an emergency use authorization for those who do not get adequate protection from the COVID-19 vaccine, and then COVID. We are finding new hope in the world of -19.

UC San Diego Health said it has begun distributing AstraZeneca antibody cocktails. EvusheldIt was offered to patients with severe immunodeficiency in early January and is currently gaining access as supply increases.

Injectable monoclonal antibody therapy is also used at other medical facilities in San Diego County. It has been approved for emergency use by the US Food and Drug Administration to prevent COVID-19 in people with moderate to severe immune system depression due to their medical condition. Or for those who are receiving immunosuppressive drugs or treatment.

Randy Shanken, 70, became one of the first patients treated in San Diego County. This treatment is a cocktail of tyxagebimab and cilgavimab given twice on the same day.

Shanken knew that if she was diagnosed with leukemia before the pandemic and got sick during cancer treatment, she would be very sensitive to the serious symptoms of COVID-19.

“I entered a strict blockade. I knew that I was considered a high-risk patient and my immune system was not so strong that I was susceptible to severe cases of COVID-19 while receiving cancer treatment. “Shanken said in writing. “I’m an avid tennis player, but I stopped playing. I stopped meeting friends and family. Her husband and I started hibernating together at home.”

She got the COVID-19 vaccine and booster shots and saw “a bright light at the end of the tunnel”. However, her body did not develop antibodies against the virus.

“It was very disappointing and depressing. I still had no protection and needed to remain isolated from the world,” Shanken said.

Shanken has been a candidate for Evsheld treatment at the University of California, San Diego and has been taking both cocktails ever since. After limiting contact with her family for two years, this treatment allows her to help her daughter plan and attend the wedding. She is also in remission from cancer.

“I was very emotional when I was treated. Now I can take part in my daughter’s bridal shower,” she said. She went to buy a dress. I can attend her outdoor wedding without fear. “

To date, at least 350 immunocompromised patients have been treated with the drug at the UCSD Health Center alone, Dr. Sila Averes said.

According to a large placebo-controlled clinical trial, cocktails are approximately 83% effective in preventing symptomatic treatment. Treatment immunity can last up to 6 months or more, according to Abeles.

UC San Diego Health is enrolling students and employees in a new study investigating how long immunity to COVID-19 lasts after vaccination or viral infection. Dr. Christopher Longhurst, Chief Medical Officer at UCSD, spoke with Catherine Garcia of NBC7 about how the Neutralizing Antibodies Project works.

Injectable monoclonal antibody therapy approved for patients 12 years and older is intended as a precautionary measure, not for patients who have already been diagnosed with COVID-19. Protection is known as pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP.

Lucy Houghton, an infectious disease specialist at the University of California, San Diego, said that Evusheld as a PrEP could provide an additional layer of protection for vulnerable people who were vaccinated, but “should not be considered an alternative or alternative to a vaccine. “. “

Candidates for PrEP must test negative for coronavirus. They must also have been unaware of their recent exposure to infected people.

The first patient to receive Evusheld at the University of California, San Diego was a kidney transplant patient. According to UCSD, transplant patients are vulnerable to COVID-19 because they cannot be vaccinated for three months after surgery. However, you can still receive Evusheld.

Patients with UC San Diego Health who believe they are eligible for treatment (patients with moderate to severe immunodeficiency or who could not be vaccinated due to severe side effects) to discuss eligibility You need to contact your doctor. Treatments are available by appointment only at the La Hoya Drive Up Site from Monday to Saturday from 9am to 7pm.