Israel approves AstraZeneca Covid-19 antibody drug
Israel approves AstraZeneca Covid-19 antibody drug
Israel has approved AstraZeneca's antibody cocktail, Evusheld, for immunocompromised people over the age of 12 and who weigh over 40kg.
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The drug has been shown to reduce severe illness and mortality by 83 percent, according to Israel's health ministry [Getty]
Israel's health ministry approved the administration of AstraZeneca's antibody cocktail, Evusheld, which will be used on people with weakened immune systems.
The ministry on Tuesday approved the drug for immunocompromised people over 12 and weigh over 40kg to supplement an immunity boost that could have been missed by vaccines.
Evusheld will "be given regardless of past recovery from Covid-19 or receiving previous coronavirus vaccine doses, provided that two weeks have passed since getting the vaccine", the ministry said.
It added that the antibodies bind to the spike protein of the coronavirus to prevent it from entering into human cells, which means the infected person is more likely to be asymptomatic.
The drug has been shown to reduce severe illness and mortality by 83 percent, according to the ministry.
It is given with two injections at the same time which consist of two types of long-acting antibodies and is only administered to those who are not positive with Covid-19 or have not recently been exposed to the virus.
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