Antibody Treatment 'Evusheld' to Be Administered from Tomorrow... "For Severe Immunocompromised Patients, etc."

On the 18th, when the fourth COVID-19 vaccine dose and vaccination reservations began for those aged 50 and above, a citizen received a vaccine shot at the Jongno-gu Public Health Center in Seoul. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Song Seung-yoon] Starting from the 8th, the administration of the COVID-19 antibody treatment 'Evusheld' will begin.

According to the quarantine authorities on the 7th, they will start administering Evusheld from the 8th to immunocompromised individuals such as blood cancer patients, organ transplant recipients, patients with congenital (primary) immunodeficiency who have difficulty receiving COVID-19 vaccines, and those who cannot get vaccinated due to adverse reactions. The administration will take place at about 200 designated medical institutions. Evusheld can only be given to those who have no history of COVID-19 infection.

Evusheld, manufactured by the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca (AZ), is a COVID-19 preventive antibody treatment that directly injects antibodies into the body to provide immune protection. It differs from existing treatments like Paxlovid, which are used to treat infected patients. When administered via intramuscular injection, it shows preventive effects against COVID-19 infection within a few hours, and the effect lasts for at least six months.

The quarantine authorities decided to import a total of 20,000 doses of Evusheld into the country this year and obtained emergency use authorization from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety at the end of June.