Preclinical Data Shows Ability of Antibody Combo to Neutralize Omicron Variants
This week, researchers from Washington University School of Medicine released preclinical data that shows a long-acting antibody combination called Evusheld can neutralize activity against omicron variants of the COVID-19 virus, including BA.2.
To conduct the study, researchers used in vivo data generated using mice infected with omicron BA.1 and BA.2 to demonstrate that Evusheld could significantly reduce the viral burden and limit inflammation in the lungs for both subvariants.
The data shows that Evusheld’s ability to reduce omicron’s viral load may also decrease the likelihood of severe infection or death, as well as long-COVID symptoms.
Evusheld was developed by AstraZeneca with support from the U.S. government and funds from the Department of Health and Human Services.
The treatment received emergency use authorization in the U.S. in December 2021 for preventing COVID-19 in people who are moderately to severely immunocompromised due to a medical condition or immunosuppressive medication.
The findings about Evusheld come after previous studies showed the omicron variant can escape certain antibody combinations.
A study published in Nature Medicine on Jan. 19 finds that several antibody combinations in clinical use by Celltrion, Regeneron and Eli Lilly had completely lost the ability to neutralize the omicron variant in cell culture.
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