The unmet need for COVID-19 treatment in immunocompromised patients

Abstract

Background: Immunocompromised (IC) patients are at increased risk of severe and/or prolonged COVID-19.

Main text: The recent study by Scaglione et al., addresses the issue of IC outpatients with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Authors describe the real-life use of SARS-CoV-2 antivirals and/or monoclonal antibodies and the clinical benefit in high-risk COVID-19 patients. The study supports the use of early combination therapy in a subgroup of extremely high risk patients, and considers the combined strategy as a gold standard regimen to both increase the effectiveness of early treatment, especially in IC individuals, and, reduce the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 escape mutants.

Conclusion: A tailored and standardised therapeutic approach in case of IC out and inpatients with SARS-CoV-2 infection is needed.

Keywords: Antiviral therapy; Combined therapy; Immunocompromised patients; Passive immunotherapy; Severe and/or prolonged COVID-19.