Pre-exposure prophylaxis with tixagevimab/cilgavimab (AZD7442) prevents severe SARS-CoV-2 infection in recipients of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation during the Omicron wave: a multicentric retrospective study of SFGM-TC

• Published in: Journal of hematology and oncology Vol. 15; no. 1; pp. 169 - 4
• Main Authors: Jondreville, Ludovic, D’Aveni, Maud, Labussière-Wallet, Hélène, Le Bourgeois, Amandine, Villate, Alban, Berceanu, Ana, Bezsera, Silvia-Maria, Thiebaut, Anne, Boissard-Simonet, Marion, Legrand, Marlène, Cornillon, Jérôme, Rubio, Marie-Thérèse, Chevallier, Patrice, Nguyen, Stéphanie
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London BioMed Central 28.11.2022; BioMed Central Ltd; BMC
• Subjects: Adult; Allogeneic stem cell transplantation; Antibodies; Antiretroviral drugs; AZD7442; Cancer Research; Complications; Coronary heart disease; Coronaviruses; Correspondence; COVID-19; COVID-19 - prevention & control; COVID-19 vaccines; Disease prevention; Drug dosages; Health aspects; Hematology; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation - adverse effects; Hematopoietic stem cells; Hospitalization; Humans; Humoral immunity; Immunization; Immunocompromised hosts; Immunotherapy; Infections; Kidney transplants; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Monoclonal antibodies; Mortality; Oncology; Patients; Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis; Prophylaxis; Retrospective Studies; SARS-CoV-2; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Stem cell transplantation; Stem cells; Transplantation; Vaccination; France; SARS-CoV-2; Allogeneic stem cell transplantation; Pre-exposure prophylaxis; AZD7442
• ISSN: 1756-8722; 1756-8722
• DOI: 10.1186/s13045-022-01387-0

Since the emergence of the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2, though considered less virulent, hospitalization and death rates among immunocompromised patients remain high, especially for poor responders to vaccination. We conducted a retrospective multicentric study to evaluate pre-exposure prophylaxis with AZD7442 (tixagevimab/cilgavimab) for preventing COVID-19 in adult allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (allo-HSCT) recipients. Among the 161 patients of our cohort, 22 (14%) contracted COVID-19 after a median follow-up of 105 days, but no severe form was observed. Only one major adverse event was reported: an acute coronary syndrome, resolved without sequelae. Pending randomized controlled trial results, our data support the use of AZD7442 as pre-exposure prophylaxis for COVID-19 during Omicron wave in allo-HSCT patients who failed to develop humoral immunity to vaccination, to prevent severe and potentially lethal forms of SARS-CoV-2 infection.