Just approved: Evusheld for the pre-exposure prevention of COVID-19

Hi @ladydidehart 😊 Thanks so much for the heads up about a possible link between Evusheld and rejection. Are you a kidney transplant patient like me? Did they catch the rejection during your routine protocol biopsy or were you having symptoms of rejection?
Thanks again for sharing!

Hi - yes I am a kidney transplant patient and yes they did catch the rejection during a routine biopsy at my 2 year anniversary. Hope all is well with you and your transplant.

@ladydidehart I am approaching my 2 year post kidney transplant anniversary too! I also had Evusheld. Are you on Cellcept and Tacronlimis too? Thank you so much for sharing your experience!

I’m on Mycophenolate and Belatacept, not Tacrolimis. It’s possible that the timing is coincidental, but as I said in my post, my transplant team told me not to get a second Evusheld dose.

I’ve had all vaccines and boosters. I received the Evusheld treatment mid February of 2022. In early March I went to Mayo for my 2 year post kidney transplant checkup. The results of the biopsy showed early signs of rejection. I was treated with intensive steroid therapy for two weeks and had another biopsy at the end of April. Thankfully the steroid treatment helped. During my visit in April I was told there were “a handful “ of transplant patients who showed signs of rejection shortly after receiving the Evusheld shots and I shouldn’t get the second dose “until they know more”. At that time they tested me for COVID antibodies and I had enough to protect me. Fast forward to end of June. My husband and I traveled to Florida. I was masked but he wasn’t. We both got COVID. Neither one of us required treatment, but we were pretty miserable for 3 weeks. I still have a significant amount of post nasal drainage and not as much energy as I did but I’m feeling better each day. The bottom line is you can still catch the current variant, even with all the medical preventatives available today. My rejection could have been a coincidence but it also could have been from the Evusheld shots and the vaccines. They really don’t know. Be careful out there!

@missmissyb, I want to welcome you to Connect. I am a transplant recipient. I was notified by my transplant department in May that I was determined to be eligible for Evusheld. I was given information to help me make my decision. After reading the information that I am sharing here, I decided to get the Evusheld during my annual evaluation appointment at Mayo in May. I want to share the information with you.

Here is a statement that I have copied from the CDC website about Evusheld.
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If your body does not mount a strong enough immune response to COVID-19 vaccination, you have another option to help your body build more protection. Evusheld is a medicine containing antibodies that can help prevent you from getting COVID-19.

Evusheld is authorized as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for prevention of COVID-19. It is given before you get exposed or test positive to help prevent COVID-19 infection. Evusheld is not used to treat COVID-19 symptoms. It is also not a substitute for COVID-19 vaccination.

You may be eligible for Evusheld if you:

Are moderately or severely immunocompromised (see list above) OR have a history of severe allergic reactions to COVID-19 vaccines, and
Do not currently have COVID-19 and have not recently had close contact with someone with COVID-19, and
Are an adult or adolescent ages 12 years and older weighing at least 88 pounds (40 kg)
Your healthcare provider will determine if you are eligible for Evusheld. You will need to go to a provider’s office to get it. Talk to your healthcare provider about whether you should get Evusheld in addition to COVID-19 vaccination.
- https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/people-who-are-immunocompromised.html
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- Evusheld EUA Fact Sheet for Patients, Parents and Caregivers
https://www.fda.gov/media/154702/download

MissMissy, I was current with all of my current with my Covid vaccines and had my 1st booster. I was due for my 2nd booster at the same time as my Evusheld, and so I had to delay that for 2 weeks.
Has your doctor suggested Evusheld for you?

Hi @beegie 😊
I am unfamiliar with neuropathy. But I just wanted to make sure you knew that Evusheld is not a vaccine. Unlike a vaccine, it is a shot (actually two shots) of combination antibodies. Are you a transplant patient on immune suppression drugs that did not respond to the covid vaccine?