The use of monoclonal antibody therapy in pediatric patients with COVID-19: a retrospective case series

BACKGROUND: Monoclonal antibody (MCA) therapies have been utilized under emergency use authorization (EUA) for high-risk pediatric patients with mild to moderate coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the outpatient setting since late 2019. The purpose of this study was to describe the use of MCA therapy in pediatric patients in the pediatric emergency department (ED) at a large community hospital. METHODS: This was a retrospective case series of high-risk pediatric patients 12 to 17 years of age who received MCA therapy in the pediatric ED between December 8, 2020 and June 3, 2021. The primary outcome was to describe the patient characteristics, clinical presentation, and safety profile of the pediatric population that received MCA therapy. The secondary outcome was to describe the incidence of hospitalizations or ED visits up to 28 days following therapy. RESULTS: A total of 44 patients were included in the analysis. The median number of days of symptoms was 4 with 41% of patients having symptoms between 0 and 3 days at time of MCA administration. Only one patient experienced a mild adverse event that did not require epinephrine administration. Two patients returned to the ED for reevaluation during the study follow-up period. No patients required admission within 28 days post-therapy. CONCLUSIONS: The administration of MCA therapy in high-risk pediatric patients in the pediatric ED was well-tolerated with subjective improvement noted in COVID-19 symptoms post-therapy. Further studies are necessary to determine the role MCA therapy may play in reducing morbidity from COVID-19 infection in high-risk pediatric patients.