What is it about?
Lung transplant patients can get very sick from COVID-19. This study looked at whether using two drugs, tixagevimab and cilgavimab, before exposure helps protect these patients.
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Why is it important?
The study included lung transplant patients between February 28 and October 31, 2022. Researchers tracked their health and COVID-19 infections until November 30, 2022. They compared those who got the preventive treatment to those who did not. Out of 1,438 patients, 419 (29%) received the preventive treatment. These patients were generally older and had more health issues. Over about seven months, 535 patients (37%) got COVID-19. Fewer patients who got the preventive treatment were infected (31% compared to 40%). Among those who got the treatment, 77 (19%) still got COVID-19. Severe cases happened in 37 patients (8%). The severity of COVID-19 was similar whether patients got the preventive treatment or not. There were 15 deaths related to COVID-19, with only one death in the group that got the treatment. The chance of severe COVID-19 was slightly lower in those who got the preventive treatment, but this difference was not significant.
Perspectives
Lung transplant patients who received the preventive treatment had fewer COVID-19 infections. The severity of the illness and the number of deaths were similar whether they got the treatment or not. For virus variants new antib´virals for preventive treatemnt should be developed.
Jens Gottlieb
Medizinische Hochschule Hannover
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Efficacy of pre-exposure prophylaxis to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection after lung transplantation: a two center cohort study during the omicron era, Infection, March 2023, Springer Science + Business Media,
DOI: 10.1007/s15010-023-02018-7.
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