Two AstraZeneca studies have highlighted the continued significant and disproportionate burdens of COVID-19 on immunocompromised (IC) individuals.Covering almost 30 million individuals, the INFORM and EPOCH real-world studies showed that IC individuals have a higher rate of severe outcomes from COVID-19 compared to the general population.

Including around 12 million participants aged 12 years and older in England, the INFORM study aimed to assess clinical outcomes and utilisation of healthcare resources in relation to COVID-19.The EPOCH study conducted an extensive insurance claims database of around 17 million people, providing real-world data on COVID-19 risks and outcomes in IC and non-IC populations within the US.The data revealed that 22% of all COVID-19 hospitalisations consisted of IC individuals, along with 28% of ICU admissions and 25% of deaths in England.

People who are IC have a weakened immune system and are more susceptible to illness with COVID-19 or could be sick for a longer period of time.Additionally, as with other vaccines, COVID-19 vaccines are not as effective in IC individuals due to an inability to produce a robust protective response to the vaccine.

The results from the studies revealed that, despite receiving repeated doses of COVID-19 vaccines, IC individuals’ risk of COVID-19 hospitalisations was 14 times greater than that of the general population.

Data from EPOCH showed that the mean total costs for hospitalisations associated with the first COVID-19 diagnosis for IC patients was estimated at nearly $1bn, with a mean cost of $64,029 per patient and mean length of hospitalisation stay of 15 days.

Paul Moss, professor of haematology at the University of Birmingham and INFORM investigator, said: “INFORM and EPOCH are the first large-scale studies that jointly provide detailed insight into the impact that COVID-19 continues to have on those patient groups across different geographies.”

Hugh Montgomery, professor of intensive care medicine at University College London, said: “Accelerating [the] development of new therapies that could help protect these vulnerable individuals from COVID-19 and ensure they can properly manage their underlying conditions remains an urgent health priority.”

Source:

https://www.pmlive.com/pharma_news/astrazeneca_studies_highlight_burden_of_covid-19_for_immunocompromised_1502210