According to new studies, an antibody cocktail recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) does not help in corona patients who are infected with the omicron variant. It is a combination of casirivimab and imdevimab. “It appears that this cocktail of antibodies shows a lack of efficacy against omicrons,” said Janet Diaz, WHO expert on the treatment of Covid-19, in Geneva on Friday. The WHO guidelines on use would be adjusted accordingly in the course of February.
The WHO had recommended the preparations for two patient categories: those who are infected and not yet seriously ill but have a high risk of having to go to the hospital, such as the elderly, those who have previously been ill and those who have not been vaccinated. The preparations for seriously ill Covid-19 patients who have not developed antibodies against the coronavirus were also recommended.
Two other drugs that the WHO only recommended in January for the treatment of Covid 19 patients are still effective according to current knowledge, said Diaz. These are the active ingredient baricitinib, which was originally developed to treat rheumatoid arthritis, and sotrovimab, a monoclonal antibody specially developed for Covid 19 patients.