A single-center review of pre-exposure prophylaxis with tixagevimab-cilgavimab in solid organ transplant recipients

Faiza Morado1, Roland Davoudi2, Pnada Kawewat-Ho2

  • 1Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Keck Hospital of USC, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA.

Abstract

Insights

Tixagevimab-cilgavimab (tix-cil) did not significantly reduce COVID-19 infection rates in vaccinated solid organ transplant recipients during Omicron variant circulation. Further evaluation against emerging strains is recommended.

Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Transplant Medicine

Background:

  • Solid organ transplant recipients (SOTr) remain vulnerable to COVID-19.
  • Limited data exists on tixagevimab-cilgavimab (tix-cil) efficacy in vaccinated SOTr during Omicron variant predominance.
  • This study addresses the need for data on tix-cil in SOTr during specific Omicron subvariant circulation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the efficacy of tixagevimab-cilgavimab (tix-cil) as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in vaccinated solid organ transplant recipients (SOTr).
  • To assess COVID-19 infection incidence in SOTr who received tix-cil PrEP compared to those who did not.
  • To analyze tix-cil effectiveness during the circulation of Omicron (B.1.1.529), BA.2.12.1, and BA.5 subvariants.

Main Methods:

  • Single-center retrospective study including adult SOTr meeting tix-cil emergency use criteria.
  • Comparison of COVID-19 infection incidence between SOTr receiving tix-cil PrEP (n=45) and those not receiving PrEP (n=45).
  • Primary outcome: incidence of COVID-19 infection post-tix-cil administration or during the study period.

Main Results:

  • Three (6.7%) SOTr in the tix-cil PrEP group developed COVID-19 compared to eight (17.8%) in the no PrEP group (p=0.20).
  • Of 11 COVID-19 cases, 82.2% were fully vaccinated prior to transplantation.
  • The majority of COVID-19 cases (81.8%) were asymptomatic or mild-to-moderate.

Conclusions:

  • Tixagevimab-cilgavimab (tix-cil) PrEP showed no significant difference in preventing COVID-19 infection in solid organ transplant recipients during Omicron variant circulation.
  • The study included periods of increased BA.5 variant circulation, providing relevant data.
  • Ongoing evaluation of tix-cil's clinical utility against new and emerging SARS-CoV-2 strains is crucial.