Safemedicate

  As the worldwide battle continues against the latest strains of COVID-19, the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has approved the use of a new medicine, Evusheld (tixagevimab/cilgavimab), for the purposes of preventing the disease. The agency said that authorisation of the treatment’s use was endorsed by the Commission on Human Medicines (CHM) – the Government’s independent expert scientific advisory body – following a careful review of the evidence. How does Evusheld work against the coronavirus? The MHRA described the AstraZeneca-developed medicine as effectively bringing together two long-acting antibodies. According to the agency, the treatment binds to the spike protein on the outside of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, thereby stopping the virus’s entrance into human cells. Approval was given to the medicine based on it being used before the patient is exposed to the risk of becoming infected with the virus. While the MHRA stated that vaccination remained...