A large number of patients with an immune disorder who received the drug sotrovimab because of a covid infection (Omikron variant) appeared to develop resistance to this drug very quickly due to specific mutations in the coronavirus. Researchers from Amsterdam UMC publish about this in the scientific journal JAMA. Lead researcher Emma Birnie calls the rapidly developing insensitivity to sotrovimab worrying: “Patients are more difficult to get rid of the resistant virus, which can lead to new mutations.”
–
The corona vaccines often work insufficiently in people with an underlying immune disorder. They are at greater risk of becoming seriously ill after covid infection. Sotrovimab, a monoclonal antibody, is an agent that attaches itself to the protrusions of the coronavirus so that it does not penetrate the cells of the body. It is one of the few drugs that has been authorized by the European Medicines Agency EMA for emergency use in this patient group.
Spike protein
The researchers saw that changes had occurred in the corona virus as early as 3 days after giving sotrovimab, which made it resistant to the drug. This involved mutations in the spike protein. It also turned out that when these mutations were found, patients carried the virus longer.
New mutations
Lead researcher Emma Birnie: “Resistance that develops during Covid-19 treatment is worrying, especially for patients with an immune disorder. In addition, we see that patients with resistance mutations find it more difficult to get rid of the virus, which means that there is a chance that new mutations will arise. It is therefore crucial that we continue to monitor the virus and investigate whether these new mutations carry additional risks, especially in this vulnerable patient group. In addition, future studies should focus on a cocktail of drugs, for example a combination of monoclonal antibodies with an antiviral agent.”
