NYMC Faculty Publications

Outcomes of Bebtelovimab Therapy in Patients With Solid Organ Transplantation With Mild and Moderate COVID-19

Author Type(s)

Resident/Fellow, Faculty

Journal Title

Cureus

First Page

e38867

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

5-1-2023

Department

Medicine

Abstract

Solid organ transplant recipients (SOTRs) are at greater risk of poorer outcomes from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) as compared to the general population. Because of significant drug-drug interactions between nirmatrelvir-ritonavir and immunosuppressive agents as well as logistical challenges of outpatient administration of remdesivir, anti-severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) had been the mainstay of outpatient treatment of COVID-19 among SOTRs, with bamlanivimab, casirivimab-imdevimab, and sotrovimab having been previously granted emergency use authorization by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The challenge with the ongoing use of these monoclonal antibodies is the loss of efficacy against emerging variants of SARS-CoV-2. Bebtelovimab, which retained efficacy against early subvariants of Omicron, was granted emergency use authorization by the Food and Drug Administration when Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 became the predominant variants in the United States. However, the study based on which bebtelovimab was authorized by the FDA did not include SOTRs. The only available safety and efficacy data on these patients are from retrospective studies. In our retrospective analysis of 62 SOTRs who received bebtelovimab infusion between May 11, 2022, and October 11, 2022, 28 had a kidney transplant, 18 had a liver transplant, 10 had a heart transplant, and six had multi-organ transplants (liver/kidney: 4, heart/kidney: 2). None of the patients reported infusion-associated adverse reaction. Only one (1.6%) patient developed progression of COVID-19, requiring subsequent treatment with remdesivir, steroids, and oxygen supplementation. The rate of need for intensive care and death from COVID-19 during the 30-day follow-up period was 0%.

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