Monoclonal Antibody Treatment Combo May Reduce Impact of COVID-19 in High-Risk Patients

In an observational study, researchers at the Mayo Clinic report that the combination of casirivimab and imdevimab – two monoclonal antibody treatments under the Emergency Use Clearance from the Food and Drug Administration – keeps patients at high risk outside the hospital when infected with mild to moderate COVID-19. The results appear in The Lancet’s EClinicalMedicine.

Almost 1,400 Mayo Clinic patients were enrolled in the study – 696 who received the drug combo between December 2020 and early April and an equally matching cohort who did not receive it. Their status was assessed at 14, 21 and 28 days after treatment. At each point, the number of hospitalizations was significantly lower in the treated group.

By day 14, 1.3% of the treated group were in hospital compared to 3.3% of those who had not been treated. By day 21, only 1.3% of those treated were hospitalized, compared to 4.2% of those who had not been treated. After 28 days, 1.6% of those treated were hospitalized compared to 4.8% of those who had not been treated. This resulted in a 60-70% relative reduction in hospitalizations among treated patients. Among those who were subsequently hospitalized, ICU admission and mortality rates were low.

Again, this real-world study suggests that when patients at high risk due to a range of co-morbidities contract a mild or moderate case of COVID-19, this combination of monoclonal injections gives them a non-healing chance. hospitalized. In other words, they recover safely at home. “

Raymund Razonable, MD, lead study author and infectious disease specialist, Mayo Clinic

A previous study from the Mayo Clinic published in the results of the Journal of Clinical Investigation suggested that the use of bamlanivimab reduced hospitalizations in high-risk patients by 40 to 60%. This study involved 2,335 patients treated at the Mayo Clinic between November 2020 and February.

Comparing their results with 2,335 untreated patients, the ICU admission and mortality rates were also significantly lower with monoclonal antibody treatment. It should be noted that the FDA in April revoked the EUA for bamlanivimab alone and now approves the use of combined monoclonal antibodies.

“Our overall conclusion at this point is that monoclonal antibodies are an important treatment option to reduce the impact of COVID-19 in high-risk patients,” explains Dr. Razonable.