The collegiate board of Anvisa (National Health Surveillance Agency) unanimously approved this Friday (16) the emergency use of the drug Evusheld (or AZD7442), by AstraZeneca, for the treatment of Covid-19.
The drug is a combination of monoclonal antibodies cilgavimab + tixagevimab. Until then, it was indicated for pre-exposure prophylaxis, that is, for individuals who are not infected with Covid-19 and have not had contact with the virus.
According to the regulatory agency, the drug is indicated for patients aged 12 years or older with Covid-19 who do not require supplemental oxygen and who demonstrate an increased risk of progression to the severe state of the disease.
Rapporteur Meiruze Sousa Freitas highlighted in her vote that patients treated with Evusheld should continue to isolate themselves and use infection control measures, for example, wearing a mask, maintaining social distancing, not sharing personal items.
“When prescribing Evusheld as a treatment or prophylaxis option, healthcare professionals should consider, where available, data on the prevalence of SARSCoV-2 variants in their region, especially those variants where Evusheld activity has been shown to be reduced “, said the rapporteur.
The medicine is also indicated for people who should not take the Covid-19 vaccine due to a history of serious adverse reaction. For those who can use the immunizer, the medicine must be administered at least two weeks after vaccination.
The drug has already been approved by other regulatory agencies in countries such as the United States, France, Israel, Italy, Bahrain, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates.
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