The FDA issued an emergency use authorization on Dec. 8 for AstraZeneca's Evusheld antibody cocktail, allowing the treatment to be used as a pre-exposure prophylaxis for COVID-19 among immunocompromised people.
Four notes:
1. Evusheld involves the administration of two monoclonal antibodies: tixagevimab and cilagavimab. They're meant to be administered as two separate and immediate intramuscular injections.
2. The FDA said one dose of Evusheld may be effective at preventing COVID-19 for six months.
3. The antibody cocktail was authorized only for people with moderately to severely compromised immune systems who may not mount an adequate immune response to vaccination, or for those with a history of severe adverse reactions to a COVID-19 vaccine and cannot receive one.
4. It's only authorized for people who are not currently infected and who have not recently been exposed to a COVID-19-positive individual.