EU regulator warns on waning effectiveness of antibody-based COVID drugs

The European Union's health regulator has advised the use of antiviral treatments over monoclonal antibodies to treat COVID-19 in patients at risk of their condition worsening, citing concerns over decreasing effectiveness against newer virus variants.

"(The approved) monoclonal antibodies are designed to neutralise the virus by binding to the spike protein on its surface. However, emerging strains have mutations in this protein which can reduce the ability of the antibodies to bind to them," the European Medicines Agency (EMA) said.

The Emergency Task Force of the EMA said healthcare professionals must check variants circulating in their region and consider alternatives like Pfizer's Paxlovid and Gilead's remdesivir.