Bebtelovimab Appears Reliable for COVID-19 During Omicron Epoch

Patients receiving bebtelovimab have more comorbidities, but do not have increased rates of progression to severe disease
Vaccine with hypodermic syringe and needle
Vaccine with hypodermic syringe and needleAdobe Stock

MONDAY, Sept. 19, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- For high-risk patients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 during the omicron epoch, bebtelovimab seems to be a reliable treatment option, according to a study published online Sept. 17 in the Journal of Infectious Diseases.

Raymund R. Razonable, M.D., from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and colleagues conducted a retrospective cohort study involving 3,607 high-risk patients to examine the effectiveness of bebtelovimab in real-world settings. A total of 2,833 patients received bebtelovimab and 774 received nirmatrelvir-ritonavir.

The researchers found that compared with nirmatrelvir-ritonavir, bebtelovimab was used more often for treatment of COVID-19 among older patients, immunosuppressed patients, and those with multiple comorbidities. The rates of progression to severe disease by 30 days after treatment were not significantly different after bebtelovimab versus nirmatrelvir-ritonavir treatment (1.4 versus 1.2 percent). The rate of admission to the intensive care unit was comparable between the groups (0.5 and 0.3 percent for those receiving bebtelovimab and nirmatrelvir-ritonavir treatment, respectively).

"This study gives us confidence that bebtelovimab is reliable for the treatment of high-risk patients during this omicron epoch characterized by increasingly new variants, and gives us another tool in the effort against COVID-19," Razonable said in a statement.

Two authors disclosed financial ties to the pharmaceutical industry.

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