TAMPA, Fla. — Tampa General Hospital announced it is the first health care facility in Hillsborough County to provide the Evusheld COVID-19 treatment to high-risk patients.
The AstraZeneca product, which last month received emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration, is an injectable treatment given prior to possible COVID-19 exposure. People with cancer, transplant recipients, those who have primary immunodeficiencies – or who cannot receive a vaccine for health reasons – are allowed to receive it under the agency's approval.
Patients must also be at least 12 years of age and weigh at least 88 pounds.
In a statement, TGH says only a limited supply of the treatment is available.
The FDA says only high-risk individuals who are not currently infected with COVID-19 and have not recently been exposed to someone with the virus may be eligible for the treatment.
"Vaccines have proven to be the best defense available against COVID-19. However, there are certain immune compromised individuals who may not mount an adequate immune response to COVID-19 vaccination, or those who have a history of severe adverse reactions to a COVID-19 vaccine and therefore cannot receive one and need an alternative prevention option," said Patrizia Cavazzoni, M.D., director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research in a statement.
One dose of Evusheld may be effective at pre-exposure prevention of COVID-19 for six months, according to the FDA. The product is a combination of monoclonal antibodies tixagevimab co-packaged with cilgavimab administered together.
"Monoclonal antibodies are laboratory-made proteins that mimic the immune system’s ability to fight off harmful pathogens such as viruses," the FDA says.