Early Oxygen Requirement in Patients with Mild-to-Moderate COVID-19 Who Received Regdanvimab after Delta-Variant Outbreak

BACKGROUND: Regdanvimab is a monoclonal antibody targeted against the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) and a treatment option for patients with mild-to moderate coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, there has been limited information on the clinical effectiveness of regdanvimab in the Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the effectiveness of regdanvimab after the Delta variant was dominant using chronological analysis of regdanvimab use in a real-world setting. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The electrical medical records of patients infected with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 who received regdanvimab within 7 days of symptom onset were reviewed before (February – June 2021) and after (August – November 2021) the Delta variant became predominant in Korea. Clinical outcomes were assessed by the need for oxygen supplementation, time from symptom onset to oxygen requirement, in-hospital mortality, and length of hospitalization. To match the difference between the basic characteristics of the two groups, the clinical outcomes were compared again after 1 : 1 propensity score matching. RESULTS: Patients treated with regdanvimab in the Delta-predominant group were more likely to require oxygen supplementation (17.5% vs. 6.0%, P = 0.019) and had shorter times from symptom onset to supplemental oxygen use (mean ± standard deviation [SD]: 5.8 ± 2.8 vs. 10.0 ± 3.7, P = 0.007) than those in the control group. After propensity score matching, the percentage of patient requiring oxygen supplementation was higher (15.2% vs. 6.1%, P = 0.156), while the time from symptom onset to oxygen supplementation was significantly shorter in the Delta-predominant group (mean ± SD: 4.9 ± 2.1 vs. 10.0 ± 3.7, P = 0.007) than that in the control group. CONCLUSION: Considering that high proportion of vaccinated patients in the Delta-predominant group, this finding suggests the uncertainty whether the effect of regdanvimab is maintained even during the Delta-predominant period. It is hence necessary to continuously monitor the effectiveness of regdanvimab as new SARS-CoV-2 variants emerge.