Tixagevimab–cilgavimab combo prevents COVID-19 complications in immunocompromised patients

The combination of tixagevimab and cilgavimab (Tix-Cil) protects immunocompromised patients with suboptimal immune responses to vaccines from COVID-19 complications, results of a study have shown.

A group of researchers retrospectively reviewed the charts of patients who received Tix-Cil during the Omicron variant period (17 January to 23 April 2022), with a follow-up period until 24 May 2022. They collected patient data on underlying comorbidities as well as post-Tix-Cil COVID-19 infections, deaths, and hospitalizations.

A total of 463 patients (median age 68 years, 51 percent male, 79 percent White) were included in the study. Of these, 18 percent had undergone a solid organ transplantation or haematopoeitic stem cell transplantation.

Only six out of 98 patients (6.1 percent) had severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) diagnosed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) at a median follow-up of 48 days.

Forty-two patients (9.1 percent) were admitted to the hospital, and four (0.9 percent) died, but none of these deaths were caused by either COVID-19 or Tix-Cil. Of note, one hospitalized patient had an incidental, asymptomatic, positive SARS-CoV-2 detected by PCR.

The median days from Tix-Cil administration to non-COVID-19‒related hospitalization and death were 30 and 53, respectively.

“COVID-19 is associated with increased morbidity and mortality among immunocompromised patients,” the researchers said. “Tix-Cil is a combination of two monoclonal antibodies approved for the prevention of COVID-19 complications in this high-risk group.”