Are You Eligible for a New Therapy That Might Prevent COVID-19? Learn More On Evusheld
Published On May 09, 2022
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What do you do if you're at high risk for hospitalization if you get infected with COVID because you haven't been able to mount an effective immune response to vaccination because you're immunocompromised? Do you have any options?
There's something called pre-exposure prophylaxis that I want to make you aware of that might give you additional protection. The FDA recently authorized a drug called Evusheld to help in this circumstance. Evusheld is a combination of two monoclonal antibodies. They work by binding to the spike protein and preventing it from getting into your cells. It's given as two injections during one session, and it may provide protection for several months.
So who's eligible? It's for adults and pediatric individuals 12 years of age or older and weighing at least 40 kilograms who are not currently infected with COVID and who have not had a recent exposure to someone infected with COVID and who have moderate to severe immune compromise due to a medical condition or take immunosuppressive medications or treatments and may not mount an immune response to COVID-19 vaccination. Or it's for people who can't get a COVID-19 vaccine due to a history of a very severe adverse reaction.
Evusheld does not treat COVID-19, but, rather, it prevents vulnerable patients from getting sick in the first place. It also doesn't prevent an infection after recent exposure. Again, the goal is to provide protection before exposure.
Remember, if you're immunocompromised, you should still get vaccinated and boosted for COVID-19 in addition to taking Evusheld. If you think you might benefit from Evusheld, talk to your doctor about whether you qualify.
If you have questions for me, drop me a note at [email protected]. Thanks for watching.
JOHN WHYTE
Hello. I'm Dr. John Whyte, the chief medical officer at WebMD. What do you do if you're at high risk for hospitalization if you get infected with COVID because you haven't been able to mount an effective immune response to vaccination because you're immunocompromised? Do you have any options?
There's something called pre-exposure prophylaxis that I want to make you aware of that might give you additional protection. The FDA recently authorized a drug called Evusheld to help in this circumstance. Evusheld is a combination of two monoclonal antibodies. They work by binding to the spike protein and preventing it from getting into your cells. It's given as two injections during one session, and it may provide protection for several months.
So who's eligible? It's for adults and pediatric individuals 12 years of age or older and weighing at least 40 kilograms who are not currently infected with COVID and who have not had a recent exposure to someone infected with COVID and who have moderate to severe immune compromise due to a medical condition or take immunosuppressive medications or treatments and may not mount an immune response to COVID-19 vaccination. Or it's for people who can't get a COVID-19 vaccine due to a history of a very severe adverse reaction.
Evusheld does not treat COVID-19, but, rather, it prevents vulnerable patients from getting sick in the first place. It also doesn't prevent an infection after recent exposure. Again, the goal is to provide protection before exposure.
Remember, if you're immunocompromised, you should still get vaccinated and boosted for COVID-19 in addition to taking Evusheld. If you think you might benefit from Evusheld, talk to your doctor about whether you qualify.
If you have questions for me, drop me a note at [email protected]. Thanks for watching.