A recent Mayo Clinic study has found monoclonal antibody therapy against COVID-19 safe and effective for use in pregnancy.
Pregnant women with COVID-19 have a high risk of hospitalization and severe complications. Furthermore, women aged over 35 and those with pre-existing health conditions are at an even higher risk. Although COVID-19 vaccines are deemed safe for use in pregnancy, doubts surround the use of monoclonal antibody therapy.
To prevent the development of serious complications, the World Health Organization (WHO) has granted approval to therapeutic anti-spike monoclonal antibodies for the treatment of mild to moderate COVID-19 in high-risk individuals. Furthermore, multiple clinical trials have indicated the effectiveness of these antibodies in reducing the risk of hospitalization, viral load, and severity of the disease. Now, a recent study has found monoclonal antibody therapy safe for pregnant women as well.
Effective and safe for both the mother and infant
For the analysis, the scientists focused on the type of antibody administration. The team recruited fifty-one pregnant women for the study. Forty-four pregnant women received the casirivimab-imdevimab combination, four received bamlanivimab monotherapy, and three received a combination of bamlanivimab and etesevimab. Additionally, the study focused on the age of the patients, gestational age after the virus diagnosis, detection of SARS-CoV-2, and the onset of symptoms.
The women did not experience any adverse reactions during or immediately after the antibody therapy administration. Nor did they require any other treatment. Ten women did require medical assistance after the therapy; however, it was because of COVID-19 or pregnancy-related side effects. For example, nausea, vomiting, cough, asthma, and post-op pain. All side effects occurred approximately thirty days after the infusion therapy. In conclusion, hospitalization and other adverse effects were not due to antibody infusion therapy.
Furthermore, the study did not report any pregnancy-related complications and fetal distress during the follow-up. After thorough research and trials, the study concluded that anti-spike monoclonal antibody therapy is safe in pregnancy for the prevention of COVID-19 risks and hospitalization.
Reference:
Thilagar BP. 2021. Outcomes of Anti-Spike Monoclonal Antibody Therapy in Pregnant Women with Mild to Moderate COVID-19. medRxiv. doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.11.27.21266942 https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.11.27.21266942v1
