Vaccines help, but CLL patients may need the extra protection of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in the form of COVID-19 antibodies, which provide passive immunity. While outcomes for COVID-19 have improved for all, chronic lymphocytic leukemia / small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL / SLL) and other immunocompromised patients remain at higher for hospitalization and death.
Pemgarda is a successor to REGEN-COV, Evusheld, and several other COVID-19-targeting past life-saving monoclonal antibodies (mAb) that, unlike the other mAbs, remain effective at neutralizing all the Omicron variants despite their multiple mutations, at least in lab testing.
There are some downsides and risks:
- It is a one-hour infusion with two hours of observation after, so not a simple shot
- It needs to be repeated every 90 days
- It has a small but real risk of severe allergic reactions, including life-threatening anaphylaxis in 0.6% of recipients
It is mostly well tolerated, should be very effective, and therefore may be worth discussing with your treatment team based on this latest press release: INVIVYD ANNOUNCES CONTINUED NEUTRALIZING ACTIVITY OF PEMGARDA™ (PEMIVIBART) AGAINST CURRENTLY DOMINANT SARS-COV-2 VARIANT LP.8.1.
It’s good to have effective protective options. COVID-19 is still a risky and unpredictable disease for CLL / SLL patients, so finding ways to allow them to live more fully in the world through repeated vaccinations, N95 masks, and PrEP is a good thing.
