UK – AstraZeneca’s Evusheld not recommended by NICE for COVID-19 prevention

AstraZeneca’s Evusheld (tixagevimab and cilgavimab) has not been recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) for the prevention of COVID-19 in vulnerable adults, the agency said.

In new draft guidance, NICE explained that there is not enough evidence of Evusheld’s effectiveness against current SARS-CoV-2 variants in the UK and those likely to be circulating in the next six months.

This reflects a decision made last month by the US Food and Drug Administration to withdraw its emergency use authorisation for Evusheld as a preventative treatment for COVID-19, with the regulator also citing insufficient evidence of the drug’s ability to protect against dominant variants in the US.

Evusheld contains two antibodies that boost protection against COVID-19 for those who are unlikely to have an adequate immune response to vaccination, or who cannot be vaccinated. This includes those who have received organ transplants or those with blood cancer…