Sotrovimab linked to treatment-resistant SARS-CoV-2 Omicron mutationsMore than half of high-risk SARS-CoV-2 Omicron inpatients or outpatients given the monoclonal antibody sotrovimab rapidly developed viral spike-protein mutations linked to treatment resistance, according to a study from the Netherlands published yesterday in JAMA.Researchers at the Amsterdam University Medical Centers assessed COVID-19 Omicron samples from 18 patients with impaired immune systems in January and February 2022. Participants were treated with one 500-milligram infusion of sotrovimab 1 to 23 days after diagnosis and tested for viral mutations via nasal-throat swabs on the day of treatment and 7 and 28 days later. Swabs from 14 patients were also tested 4 days before the infusion and up to 52 days after.The average patient age was 60.9 years, and 83% had compromised immune systems due to underlying medical conditions or use of an immune-suppressing drug. According to genomic analysis, 17 patients were infected with the Omicron BA.1 subvariant, while 1 had BA.2.Ten patients (56%) developed a total of nine receptor-binding domain mutations at two spike-protein positions 3 to 31 days after sotrovimab receipt, while no such mutations were seen in Omicron samples from the general population. Participants with mutations took a significantly longer time to clear the virus than those without mutations (averag …
COVID-19 Scan for Aug 02, 2022 – CIDRAP
