Evusheld Pre-Exposure Preventative Treatment for COVID-19 – Nevada Health Response – Nevada Health Response

Evusheld is a therapeutic that is given before exposure to COVID-19 to individuals who may not mount an adequate immune response to COVID-19 vaccination. It is given as a pre-exposure prophylaxis to people who have a compromised immune system and who are at high risk for COVID-19. Evusheld can help protect immunocompromised people by lowering the risk of hospitalization, severe illness, and death. It is recommended that administration of Evusheld occur before exposure to COVID-19. Persons with immune compromised conditions should speak to a provider right away about eligibility.

What is Evusheld?

The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) issued an emergency use authorization for Evusheld, a monoclonal antibody preventative treatment that has shown to be 77% effective in lowering risk of developing COVID-19 for up to 6 months.

Evusheld is a preventative treatment, which helps prevent COVID-19 in people who have not yet been exposed to the virus. Evusheld uses two monoclonal antibodies, tixagevimab and cilgavimab, that are laboratory produced molecules engineered to serve as substitute antibodies to restore, enhance, or mimic the immune response to pathogens. Evusheld may only be prescribed to a patient by a physician or authorized provider, as it is administered intramuscularly (IM) by two consecutive injections of 300mg of tixagevimab and 300mg of cilgavimab.

Eligibility for Evusheld

The Emergency Use Authorization allows AstraZenecas Evusheld to be used as a pre-exposure prophylaxis for prevention of COVID-19 in adults and individuals that:

Talk to a health care provider to determine whether, based on individual circumstances, someone is eligible to receive Evusheld, and when it should be administered. For best results, do not wait to confirm eligibility.

Evusheld Providers in Nevada

Currently, Nevada has 20 locations in the state that provide Evusheld in the following cities: Reno, Carson City, Fallon, McDermitt, Winnemucca, Elko, Caliente, Las Vegas, Gardnerville, Yerington.

Follow this link to find Evusheld near you. COVID-19 Therapeutics Locator

Free State Sponsored Services

The State of Nevada has funding to provide COVID-19 therapeutic services to Nevadans. There are state sponsored services for Nevadans free of charge ranging from fixed site clinics, mobile or home-health services, and telehealth visits for oral antivirals and other therapies. Currently, the free therapies available include: Evusheld, Sotrovimab, Paxlovid, Molnupiravir, and soon Bebtelovimab.

Clark County

In Clark County, there is a fixed site, as well as home-health infusion options.

Northern and Rural

To learn more about statewide assistance regarding free Evusheld, please call 1-800-401-0946 or visit nevadacovidtreatment.com. The NorthernNevada Covid Treatment telehealth services are applicable to all Nevadans (including urban and rural counties). If you are eligible, you will be scheduled for a telehealth visit to assess if and how therapeutics may be used.

Adverse effects of Evusheld

As with all medications, you may experience some common side effects with most being mild to moderate. Headache, fatigue, and cough were among the most common side effects during clinical trials. Overall, side effects occurred in less than 3% of individuals.

Evusheld Effectiveness

Multiple studies have been performed on adults who were not vaccinated against COVID-19 and at elevated risk because of age, comorbidity, history of severe or adverse reaction to any US Food and Drug Administration-licensed vaccine, or residential/occupational status. Protection against severe illness, moderate illness, and COVID-19 symptoms were found to be effective up to 6.5 months after injections. There were no severe or critical COVID-19 events in the group that received Evusheld. Evusheld is not a substitute for vaccination, however, this preventative treatment may provide additional protection for people with severely compromised immune systems who may not mount an adequate immune response to COVID-19 vaccination. There also are people with a history of adverse reactions to vaccines for whom the COVID-19 vaccine is not recommended.

This monoclonal antibody treatment is still relatively new under emergency use authorization (EUA) and is recommended only for those at high risk for severe disease.

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Evusheld Pre-Exposure Preventative Treatment for COVID-19 - Nevada Health Response - Nevada Health Response