But that joy quickly turned to despair as patients learned the government has only contracted for enough doses for less than one-tenth the number of people who are eligible for it.
The first batch of the drug, called Evusheld, shipped out on Monday, according to a spokesperson for the US Department of Health and Human Services. Dr. Camille Kotton, an infectious disease expert at Mass General Brigham, said her medical system expects to receive in this shipment only doses to treat fewer than 1% of its thousands of immune-compromised patients.
The Covid-19 vaccines worked well for many — but not all — people with suppressed immune systems, leaving them vulnerable to the virus. Evusheld is a monoclonal antibody, and doctors hoped to give it to their immune-compromised patients because it works in a different way than the vaccines.
“I am very concerned about the immune-compromised population,” Kotton said. “I’m disappointed we don’t have better access, and I hope we have better access very soon so we can prevent as much illness and potentially death in this population as possible.”
“It’s a shame that something that really could be a game changer for people who didn’t have a good vaccine response is now going to be something that is in short supply,” said Dr. Dorry Segev, a transplant surgeon at Johns Hopkins University and a leading researcher on vaccine effectiveness for people who are immune-compromised.
CNN interviewed more than two dozen Americans whose suppressed immune systems kept them from getting full protection from Covid-19 vaccines.
“I cried tears of joy when I read the headline about Evusheld. Finally, we had hope, and then to have it dashed — well, the reality is sinking in,” said Diane Barron, 51.
Barron has lymphoma and rheumatoid arthritis, and her immune system is weak. Blood tests show even after three doses of Pfizer’s vaccine, she has no detectable antibodies against Covid-19. At high risk of dying from the virus, Barron remains a virtual prisoner in her home in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Read More: Evusheld to prevent Covid-19: There won’t be nearly enough for Americans