Background: The use and potential benefit of anti-severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) for the treatment of mild-to-moderate coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in people living with multiple sclerosis (pwMS) remains poorly studied. The objective of this study is to describe the therapeutic use of anti-SARS-CoV-2 mAbs among pwMS.
Methods: This retrospective cohort study used electronic medical records data from the TriNetX Dataworks USA Network and included adult pwMS, diagnosed with COVID-19, who received anti-SARS-CoV-2 mAbs in the outpatient setting between November 2020 and April 2022. We analyzed COVID-19 severity at anti-SARS-CoV-2 mAb initiation and up to 30 days, stratified by before/after emergence of Omicron variant and by disease-modifying therapy (DMT).
Results: The study included 434 pwMS treated with anti-SARS-CoV-2 mAbs for mild-to-moderate COVID-19, including 270 patients before and 174 after Omicron emergence. Most pwMS were female (80.2%), mean age (SD) was 51.5 (12.5) years. Two-hundred-and-five patients were on DMTs, 51% of whom received anti-CD20s. One patient with moderate COVID-19 was hospitalized whilst receiving glatiramer acetate. No patients required intensive care and there were no deaths. COVID-19 outcomes were comparable following anti-SARS-CoV-2 mAb therapy in patients receiving different DMTs.
Conclusion: Anti-SARS-CoV-2 mAb treatment for pwMS with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 may reduce the risk of COVID-19-related hospitalization and death.
Keywords: Disease-modifying therapy; Electronic health records; Monoclonal antibody; Multiple sclerosis; Observational study; SARS-CoV-2.
Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier B.V.