A new drug that is helping to prevent COVID-19 infections in other immunocompromised people is now available in Alberta.
Evusheld, a long-acting antibody, deployed in the province since May 26. Jia Hu, a public health doctor, said that while vaccines work very well to save you or minimize COVID-19 infections in some people, there is a part of the population that needs another protective bureaucracy. This is where teams like Evusheld can help.
“For most people, the vaccine works very well. Even though we’ve known for some time that there are patients, those who are actually immunocompromised, other people on immunosuppressive transplantation or other people who get active chemotherapy where vaccines don’t work as well,” Hu said. “This (Evusheld) is like giving your body antibodies outdoors and they act enough, they protect you from COVID even if you can’t cause an immune reaction from the vaccine. “
Hu said Evusheld is only 80 percent effective in preventing hospitalizations and appears to be effective compared to the Omicrom variant. It is not a remedy for COVID-19 and is given before infection.
Evusheld is given through two injections into the muscle and is a set of medications called tixagevimab and cilgavimab. Side effects come with reactions to injections. According to Health Canada, patients who won Evusheld as part of a clinical trial reported higher degrees of serious adverse cardiac events. .
Health Canada approved the use of Evusheld in the country in April and Alberta Health Minister Jason Copping announced on May 25 that the treatment would soon be available to Albertans.
“Clinical experts in Alberta reviewed the evidence for this product and provided advice for its use in Albertans who can gain the greatest advantages,” Copping said in a COVID-19 update on May 25. “Beginning May 26, Evusheld will be available to eligible Alberta residents who have had organ or mobile transplants or blood cancer or who are being treated with rapid immunocompromised medications.
Copping said access to the drug should be done through medical specialists who interact with other people who might be eligible.
Hu said the drug is already available, believes that the general knowledge of the additional protective layer remains low, and believes that a dozen doses have been administered so far.
“I think it’s similar to Paxlovid where, although there was a lot of noise before its launch, it probably took us until last month before we started shipping giant volumes,” Hu said, referring to an antiviral. Pill available to other people to treat infections.
Hu said that even though many other people no longer think about COVID-19 as they used to, teams like Evusheld will continue to make other immunocompromised people feel safe.
Lisa Glover, a spokeswoman for Alberta Health, said data on the number of doses administered are still available.
dshort@postmedia. com
Sign up for headlines from the Edmonton Journal, a department of Postmedia Network Inc.
A welcome email is on the way. If you don’t see it, check your spam folder.
The next Edmonton Journal Headline News factor will soon be in your inbox.
We found a challenge with your registration. Check back
Postmedia is committed to maintaining a civilized discussion forum and encourages all readers to share their views on our articles. Comments can take up to an hour to moderate before appearing on the site. We ask that you keep your comments applicable and respectful. I’ve enabled email notifications. You will now receive an email if you get a response to your comment, if there is an update to a comment thread you are following, or if a user follows your comments. See our network rules for more information and main points on how to adjust your email settings.
365 Bloor Street East, Toronto, ONTARIO M4W 3L4
© 2022 Edmonton Journal, a department of Postmedia Network Inc. All rights reserved. Dissemination, unauthorized transmission or is strictly prohibited.
This uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads) and allows us to analyze our traffic. Learn more about cookies here. By using our Array, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy.