Faced with Omicron, monoclonal antibodies (almost) all put out – The HuffPost

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CORONAVIRUS – There is only one left. The French health authorities markedly restricted the range of anti-Covid treatments on Tuesday, January 4 by synthetic antibodynoting that some were not effective enough against the new variant Omicron.

To treat a Covid already declared, none of the three treatments available so far is effective if the infection is due to the Omicron variant, the Medicines Agency (ANSM) said in a press release. Only one, the Evusheld from AstraZenecacan be used to prevent infection with this variant.

Until recently, three antibody treatments were authorized in France against Covid: Ronapreve by Roche, the bamlanivimab / etesivimab combination by Eli Lilly and, more recently, Evusheld.

These treatments are given little because they are heavy to administer since they require an intravenous injection. They are aimed at specific categories of patients. First, people who already have severe formsto prevent them from degenerating, but also those whose immune systems are weakened: transplant recipients, dialysis, transplant patients, suffering from certain cancers or taking certain treatments.

Evusheld, the only survivor

The goal is to offer these people say “immunocompromised”Another form of prevention than the vaccine. But the Omicron variant, which has been rapidly expanding since the end of 2021, is resistant to several of these treatments. This is particularly the case with Ronapreve.

This “must not be used” in the presence of Omicron, whether for prevention or to treat a Covid already installed, warned the ANSM. However, it continues to authorize it against severe forms linked to the Delta variant, Omicron’s predecessor.

This is not even the case with the treatment of Eli Lilly. This has not been authorized at all since December 31, reports the ANSM, because it was too ineffective against Delta and, all the more so, Omicron.

This means that there are no more antibody treatments available in France to treat Omicron-related Covid cases once they are reported. Indeed, the third treatment, Evusheld, which remains authorized because it retains its effectiveness against Omicron, is only used preventively. Chance does things well: the latter was only validated by the ANSM on December 9, just before the arrival of Omicron.

“Only Evusheld can be used in this indication because of the now majority presence of the Omicron variant in the population”, specifies the ANSM. Certain monoclonal antibodies, not approved in France, remain sufficiently effective against Omicron, such as Evusheld. This is the case, for example, with Sotrovimab, used in particular in Great Britain.

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