Remedisivir (intravenous), molnupiravir (Merck pill) and Paxlovid (Pfizer pill) antiviral therapies remain effective against BA.2 subtype, also known as Omicron 2, as shown by laboratory studies in the United States and Japan.
Also, all three treatments are almost as effective against the original Omicron (subtype BA.1) as against previous variants of the coronavirus.
It was also found that Omicron 2 remains vulnerable to some monoclonal antibodies, especially opposite the AstraZeneca Evusheld. This is not the case with the etesevimab and bamlanivmab antibodies commonly used in combination as a single treatment, which have been found to be unable – either alone or together – to neutralize Homicron 2 at their usual dose.
On the other hand, the Regeneron antibodies (imdevimab and casirivimab), as well as COV2-2196 (tixagevimab), and COV2-2130 (cilgavimab), were found to be more effective against Omicron 2 (BA.1) than the original Omicron (BA.1), although their efficacy against Omicron 2 is lower than against older variants of the virus.
The researchers, led by prominent Japanese-born virologist Yoshihiro Kawaoka of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Tokyo, published their findings in the New England Journal of Medicine.
“The bottom line is that we have antibodies that appear to be more effective against BA.2 compared to BA.1 or BA.1.1. “This is good news, but we do not know to what extent what we found in the laboratory translates into clinical practice,” something that will require clinical studies in addition to laboratory studies, said Dr. Kavaoka.
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