The evolution of the coronavirus has knocked out another treatment.
The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday withdrew the authorization of Evusheld, the latest antibody therapy to be rendered ineffective by the mutations the virus has picked up. Notably, Evusheld — unlike other antibody therapies — was not for infected patients, but rather was given as a pre-exposure treatment to people at high risk for severe Covid-19, such as those with compromised immune systems.
The end of Evusheld, made by AstraZeneca, is not unexpected. The FDA warned in October that emerging forms of the Omicron variant were undermining the power of the therapy. Earlier this month, the agency said that it anticipated that Evusheld would not neutralize the now-dominant XBB.1.5 Omicron sublineage, but that it was awaiting further data…
