There's a lineage of Omicron that's gained the R346K mutation (BA.1.1). This one could spell some trouble for the AZ mAb (tixagevimab/cilgavimab, Evusheld) that's being used for pre-exposure prophylaxis. If you want to learn about tix/cil vs Omicron, read on 1/7
Tix/cil (Evusheld) are 2 mAbs that bind non-overlapping RBD epitopes + have Fc changes to make them long-lasting. In the ph3 PROVENT trial, tix/cil given to high-risk uninfected pts resulted in a 77% reduction in symptomatic COVID-19 infxn. It's FDA-authorized for PrEP 2/7
Based on the NIH OpenData portal of aggregate in vitro data against Omicron, tix/cil has 10-100-fold decreased activity (greater loss of activity for tix than cil), but sotrovimab only has a 2-4-fold loss of activity. So how are both considered likely still active vs Omicron? 3/7
It turns out that tix/cil is at baseline far more potent than sotrovimab as nicely outlined by neut curves in this paper (nature.com/articles/s4158…). Even with the bigger loss of activity of tix/cil vs Omicron, the IC50s end up at a similar point compared to sot (red lines) 4/7
Based on the neut curves above and the PK data (biorxiv.org/content/10.110…), tix/cil should be maintained above the IC90s for at least 6 months vs Omicron, which is reassuring. 5/7
However, position 346 is a site of resistance for cilgavimab and R346K will further decrease its activity based on in vitro data (nature.com/articles/s4158…, COV2-2130 = cil in figure below) 6/7
In summary, Evusheld should retain activity vs Omicron despite 10-100-fold decreased activity. But the BA.1.1 version (+R346K) is expected to further decr cilgavimab activity and we should keep a close eye on this variant and monitor for breakthrough infections on Evusheld 7/7
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New preprint led by a very talented ID physician-scientist in my group @eeeejjjaaaa. He studied the effect of SARS-CoV-2 plasma viremia in a cohort of patients presenting to the Emergency Department w/ respiratory dysfxn. Huge thanks to @MGoldbergLab@arnavmehta3 + others 1/n
While COVID is generally thought to be a pulmonary disease, 36% of participants had detectable SARS-CoV-2 RNA in plasma at the time of ED presentation. Viremia was associated with elevated inflammatory markers, lower lymphocyte counts, and signs of organ dysfunction 2/n
Levels of SARS-CoV-2 viremia at the time of ED visit predicted maximal disease severity during the course of the hospitalization with an adjusted OR of 10.6 for mechanical ventilation or death at 28 days. 3/n