Internal medicine

Pediatrics

Disease

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)

Infectious disease (medical specialty)

Authorization

Outbreak

Intensive care medicine

Virology

Emergency medicine

Vaccination

Immunology

Post-exposure prophylaxis

Drug approval

2019-20 coronavirus outbreak

Drug

Computer science

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)

Computer security

Medicine

Pharmacology

Drugs

Tixagevimab 150 mg and cilgavimab 150 mg (EVUSHELDTM 150 mg + 150 mg solution for injection; tixagevimab + cilgavimab) is an intramuscular (IM) long-acting monoclonal antibody combination developed by AstraZeneca for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19. In March 2022, tixagevimab + cilgavimab was approved in the UK for pre-exposure prophylaxis of COVID-19 in adults who are not currently infected with SARS-CoV-2 and who have not had a known recent exposure to an individual infected with SARS-CoV-2 and who are unlikely to mount an adequate immune response to COVID-19 vaccination or for whom COVID-19 vaccination is not recommended, and in the EU for the prevention of COVID-19 in adults and adolescents aged ≥ 12 years and weighing ≥40 kg. In December 2021, tixagevimab + cilgavimab was granted Emergency Use Authorization by the US FDA for the pre-exposure prophylaxis of COVID-19 in adults and paediatric individuals (≥ 12 years of age and weighing ≥ 40 kg). This article summarizes the milestones in the development of tixagevimab + cilgavimab leading to this first approval for pre-exposure prophylaxis of COVID-19 in individuals who are not currently infected with SARS-CoV-2.

Tixagevimab + Cilgavimab: First Approval