JERUSALEM, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) — Israel’s Health Ministry on Tuesday approved the administration of AstraZeneca’s Evusheld COVID-19 drug to people with weakened immune systems.
This medicine, which includes two injections of two types of long-acting antibodies inoculated at the same time, is only authorized for people who are not currently infected or who have not been recently exposed to an individual infected with the virus.
The antibodies bind to the spike protein of the virus and neutralize the entry of the virus into human cells, thereby reducing the risk of developing symptomatic disease, the ministry noted.
The drug has been shown to reduce severe morbidity and mortality from COVID-19 disease by 83%, he added.
The ministry has approved the treatment for people aged 12 and over, weighing at least 40kg, with moderately or severely impaired immune systems.
In early December 2021, the treatment received emergency use authorization from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in certain adults and children with compromised immune systems or a history of serious adverse reactions to a vaccine against COVID-19. End
–
