Prophylactic antivirals may help prevent symptomatic COVID-19 in rituximab-treated patients - Medicine Matters rheumatology

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medwireNews: Pre-exposure prophylaxis with tixagevimab and cilgavimab (Evusheld) whitethorn beryllium an effectual strategy to forestall symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 corruption among radical with rheumatic diseases treated with rituximab, suggest findings from a real-world study.

While vaccination is the “primary strategy” for extortion against COVID-19, definite populations specified arsenic those connected B cell-depleting agents whitethorn person a suboptimal effect to vaccines, accidental Anthony Ocon (Rochester Regional Health, New York, USA) and team.

Therefore, the US FDA has issued an Emergency Use Authorization for the medication of tixagevimab and cilgavimab arsenic pre-exposure prophylaxis successful high-risk populations, they add.

The survey included 43 patients with rheumatic diseases treated with rituximab (mean property 59 years, 70% women), the bulk (81%) of whom had received 3 doses of a messenger (m)RNA COVID-19 vaccine. The astir communal diagnosis was rheumatoid arthritis (49%), followed by anti-neutrophil cytoplasm antibody-associated vasculitis (30%), different vasculitis (9%), Sjögren’s syndrome (5%), and systemic lupus erythematosus (2%).

These radical were each fixed tixagevimab positive cilgavimab, some astatine doses of either 300 mg oregon 150 mg according to FDA recommendations.

Ocon and squad study successful the Journal of Clinical Rheumatology that conscionable 1 idiosyncratic successful their cohort experienced symptomatic COVID-19 during an mean follow-up of 100 days aft medication of antivirals; this idiosyncratic had received 3 mRNA vaccines and recovered without the request for further aesculapian treatment.

Therefore, 97.8% of the cohort did not make symptomatic infection, they say.

Although the survey did not see a power group, the investigators enactment that “there was a precocious complaint of transmission of SARS-CoV-2 successful the country passim the survey period,” with a section cumulative incidence complaint of 4.3%.

“With this extended grade of viral enactment successful the region, it is precise reassuring that lone 1 idiosyncratic successful our high-risk cohort experienced symptomatic corruption with SARS-CoV-2,” they write.

The researchers enactment that nary of the survey participants reported superior adverse events (AEs) requiring aesculapian attraction pursuing receipt of the antivirals. The astir commonly occurring AEs were myalgia (n=3), flu-like symptoms (n=2), and fever (n=2).

Taken together, the survey results suggest that “[a]dministration of Evusheld whitethorn beryllium considered arsenic portion of a multilayered attack to hazard mitigation successful this high-risk colonisation arsenic pre-exposure prophylaxis,” concludes the team.

medwireNews is an autarkic aesculapian quality work provided by Springer Healthcare Ltd. © 2022 Springer Healthcare Ltd, portion of the Springer Nature Group

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J Clin Rheumatol 2022; doi:10.1097/RHU.0000000000001907

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