Omicron: French health authorities withdraw three ineffective treatments

Europe 1 with AFP 8:18 p.m., January 05, 2022

The French health authorities on Wednesday significantly restricted the range of anti-Covid treatments by synthetic antibodies, noting that some were not shown to be effective enough against the new Omicron variant.

To treat an already declared Covid, none of the three treatments available so far is effective if the infection is due to the Omicron variant, the Medicines Agency (ANSM) said in a press release.

Only one, AstraZeneca Evusheld, can be used to prevent infection with this variant.

Heavy treatments to administer

Until recently, three antibody treatments were authorized in France against Covid: Ronapreve by Roche, the bamlanivimab / etesivimab combination by Eli Lilly and, more recently, Evusheld.

These treatments are given little because they are heavy to administer since they require an intravenous injection.

They are aimed at specific categories of patients.

On the one hand, these are people who already have severe forms, to prevent them from degenerating.

On the other hand, these are people in whom the vaccination works poorly because their immune system is weakened: transplant recipients, dialysis patients, transplant recipients, suffering from certain cancers or taking certain treatments.

The aim is to offer these so-called "immunocompromised" people another form of prevention than the vaccine.

>> READ ALSO

- New treatment against Covid: explanations from the president of AstraZeneca France

Ineffectiveness against Omicron

But the Omicron variant, which has been rapidly expanding since the end of 2021, is resistant to several of these treatments.

This is particularly the case with Ronapreve.

This "must not be used" in the presence of Omicron, whether for prevention or to treat a Covid already installed, warned the ANSM.

However, it continues to authorize it against severe forms linked to the Delta variant, Omicron's predecessor.

This is not even the case with Eli Lilly's treatment.

This has not been authorized at all since December 31, reports the ANSM, because it was too ineffective against Delta and, all the more so, Omicron.

This means that there are no more antibody treatments available in France to treat Omicron-related Covid cases once they are reported.

Indeed, the third treatment, Evusheld, which remains authorized because it retains its effectiveness against Omicron, is only used preventively.

"Only Evusheld can be used in this indication because of the now majority presence of the Omicron variant in the population", specifies the ANSM.