Prognosis
Doctors Are Running Out of Antibody Drugs to Treat Covid as Virus Mutates
- BQ.1, BQ.1.1 and XBB threaten to outrun scant remaining drugs
- Viral evolution poses a challenge for drugmakers, scientists
Employees in protective gear at the AstraZeneca facility in Södertälje, Sweden.
Photographer: Jonathan Nackstand/AFP/Getty Images
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Covid-19’s constant mutations have proven nearly impossible for drugmakers to keep up with. Omicron’s newest stepchildren threaten to render the last two antibody drugs on the market ineffective: Eli Lilly & Co.’s bebtelovimab, which is used to treat symptoms, and AstraZeneca Plc’s Evusheld, which helps prevent infections.
When Covid first hit, scientists quickly developed antibody drugs to protect people from the virus’s worst effects. It’s a straightforward premise: a targeted antibody can immediately neutralize a threat inside the body, preventing an infection from even starting.