Egypt receives first batch of COVID-19 prevention drug for vulnerable patients

Egypt receives first batch of COVID-19 prevention drug for vulnerable patients

CAIRO: Egypt has received its first batch of 15,000 doses of EvuSheld, a long-acting antibody combination for the prevention of COVID-19 in vulnerable patients. The delivery came just days after the AstraZeneca drug obtained an emergency use permit from the Egyptian Drug Authority, making Egypt the first African country and fourth in the world to take EvuSheld. Authorities said more doses were expected to arrive over the coming weeks as part of a supply agreement for 50,000 measures in 2022. On Jan. 16, the EDA granted EvuSheld an emergency use permit for adults and over-12s weighing more than 40 kilograms. The drug — a combination of the human monoclonal antibodies tixagevimab and cilgavimab ­— targets groups that suffer from moderate to severe weakness in immunity as a result of health conditions or taking immunosuppressive drugs. Hossam Abdel Ghaffar, spokesman for the Egyptian Ministry of Health and Population, said: “The leadership’s directives were the main driver that made Egypt one of the first countries in the world to receive doses of the innovative drug EvuSheld to protect the most vulnerable groups. “The cooperation of the Ministry of Health and Population with AstraZeneca will play a pivotal role in our pandemic response