SARS-CoV-2 pre-exposure prophylaxis with tixagevimab/cilgavimab (AZD7442) provides protection in inborn errors of immunity with antibody defects: a real-world experience

Front Immunol. 2023 Oct 26:14:1249462. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1249462. eCollection 2023.

Abstract

Background: Preventive strategies against severe COVID-19 in Inborn Errors of Immunity (IEI) include bivalent vaccines, treatment with SARS-CoV-2 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), early antiviral therapies, and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP).

Objective: To assess the effectiveness of the PrEP with tixagevimab/cilgavimab (AZD7442) in IEI with primary antibody defects during the COVID-19 Omicron wave.

Methods: A six-month prospective study evaluated the SARS-CoV-2 infection rate and the COVID-19 severity in the AZD7442 group, in the no-AZD7442 group, and in a group of patients with a recent SARS-CoV-2 infection (< three months). Spike-specific IgG levels were measured at regular intervals.

Results: Six out of thirty-three patients (18%) and 54/170 patients (32%) became infected in the AZD7442 group and in the no-AZD7442 group, respectively. Within 90 days post-administration, the AZD7442 group was 85% less likely to be infected and 82% less likely to have a symptomatic disease than the no-AZD7442 group. This effect was lost thereafter. In the entire cohort, no mortality/hospitalisation was observed. The control group of 35 recently infected patients was 88% and 92% less likely to be infected than the AZD7442 and no-AZD7442 groups. Serum anti-Spike IgG reached the highest peak seven days post-AZD7442 PrEP then decreased, remaining over 1000 BAU/mL 180 days thereafter.

Conclusion: In patients with IEI and antibody defects, AZD7442 prophylaxis had a transient protective effect, possibly lost possibly because of the appearance of new variants. However, PrEP with newer mAbs might still represent a feasible preventive strategy in the future in this population.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; common variable immune deficiency (CVID); immunoglobulin replacement (IgRT); inborn errors of immunity; monoclonal antibody; tixagevimab/cilgavimab prophylaxis.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Antibodies, Monoclonal
  • Antibodies, Viral
  • COVID-19*
  • Humans
  • Immunoglobulin G
  • Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis*
  • Prospective Studies
  • SARS-CoV-2

Substances

  • tixagevimab
  • cilgavimab and tixagevimab drug combination
  • cilgavimab
  • Antibodies, Monoclonal
  • Antibodies, Viral
  • Immunoglobulin G

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Union - NextGenerationEU through the Italian Ministry of University and Research under PNRR - M4C2-I1.3 Project PE_00000019 “HEAL ITALIA” to IQ, CUP: B53C22004000006.The views and opinions expressed are those of the authors only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Commission. Neither the European Union nor the European Commission can be held responsible for them.