To prevent Covid-19 or protect infected patients from severe forms of the disease, several treatments (antivirals, antiretrovirals or immunomodulators) have been developed or are under development. The French National Authority for Health has already authorized early access to two treatments: Ronapreve® and Evusheld®. This early access has also just been granted to Xevudy® (sotrovimab) developed by the GSK laboratory.
Xevudy® obtained marketing authorization from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) on December 17th. This drug has a double action: it prevents the virus from infecting new cells and it eliminates cells that are already infected.
Who is Xevudy intended for?
This monoclonal antibody is indicated for adults and adolescents aged 12 years and over (and weighing more than 40 kg) infected with SARS-CoV-2 who do not require oxygen supplementation and who are at risk of developing a severe form. of the disease.
Early access to medicines (a system which allows certain patients to benefit, on an exceptional and temporary basis, from certain medicines which have not yet received marketing authorisation) is currently reserved for people high risk:
- patients aged 80 and over
- patients with an immune deficiency related to a pathology or treatment
- patients at risk of complications.
But “this indication is likely to evolve according to the state of scientific knowledge and the epidemiological context” underlines the HAS in a press release.
Should Xevudy be taken before or after the infection?
It is recommended to receive this drug within 5 days of the onset of symptoms of Covid-19. For now, the drug, like all monoclonal antibodies, is not available in town. The Xevudy is administered intravenously in the hospital so that patients can remain under observation during and after (at least 1 hour after its administration).
The recommended dose is a single intravenous infusion of 500 mg, administered over 30 minutes.
Is it effective against Omicron?
In its press release, the HAS stresses that this treatment, unlike the previous ones, “has a mechanism of action which gives hope of maintaining its effectiveness on the variants, including the omicron variant”.
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- Variant Omicron: the most common symptoms
- Covid-19: what are the expected treatments?
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