SARS-CoV-2 Monoclonal Antibodies Offered at Pharmacies

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues evolving, so is access to innovative monoclonal antibody (mAbs) treatments.

On July 27, 2022, the U.S. HHS and Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) announced they partnered with AstraZeneca to establish an additional pathway for providers to access the COVID-19 mAbs combination known as Evusheld for use with eligible patients.

Since the U.S. FDA issued authorization on December 8, 2021, ASPR has controlled access to 777,532 Evusheld doses in the USA.

According to NPR reporting on July 28, 2022, Evusheld will soon be available through a subset of federal pharmacy partners.

These pharmacies include Albertsons, Acme, Jewel-Osco, Pavilions, Randalls, Safeway, Star Market, Vons, CPESN, Amber Specialty Pharmacy, Managed Healthcare Associates, and Thrifty White.

Previously, Amber Specialty Pharmacy, a Hy-Vee subsidiary, began offering Evusheld services on June 23, 2022.

"This new pathway will be particularly beneficial for health care providers in rural areas and others that do not have a large pool of patients requiring the therapy," an HHS spokesperson informed NPR.

Evusheld is a medicine that offers an extra layer of protection on top of vaccination for qualifying individuals who are moderately or severely immunocompromised and can offer protection for those who are severely allergic to COVID-19 vaccines. 

Evusheld consists of two mAbs provided together to help prevent infection with the virus that causes COVID-19. A healthcare provider administers Evusheld as two separate, consecutive intramuscular injections at a healthcare facility or pharmacy.

Previously, AstraZeneca announced on May 25, 2022, that Evusheld retains neutralization activity against the emerging Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 (BA.4/5) variants, according to preclinical pseudovirus assay data from the University of Oxford, published on May 23, 2022.

Hugh Montgomery, Professor of Intensive Care Medicine at University College London, UK, and TACKLE principal investigator, commented in a press release, "Despite the success of vaccines, many individuals such as older adults, individuals with co-morbidities, and those who are immunocompromised, remain at risk for poor outcomes from severe COVID-19."

"Additional options are needed to prevent disease progression and reduce the burden on healthcare systems, especially with the continued emergence of new variants."

"The TACKLE (study) results show that one intramuscular dose of Evusheld can prevent these individuals from progressing to severe COVID-19, with earlier treatment leading to even better results."

Additional mAbs news is posted at CoronavirusToday.

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