Different efficacies of neutralizing antibodies and antiviral drugs on SARS-CoV-2 Omicron subvariants, BA.1 and BA.2

Hirofumi Ohashi, Takayuki Hishiki, Daisuke Akazawa, Kwang Su Kim, Joohyeon Woo, Kaho Shionoya, Kana Tsuchimoto, Shoya Iwanami, Saya Moriyama, Hitomi Kinoshita, Souichi Yamada, Yudai Kuroda, Tsukasa Yamamoto, Noriko Kishida, Shinji Watanabe, Hideki Hasegawa, Hideki Ebihara, Tadaki Suzuki, Ken Maeda, Shuetsu FukushiYoshimasa Takahashi, Shingo Iwami, Koichi Watashi

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Omicron subvariant BA.2 has spread in many countries, replacing the earlier Omicron subvariant BA.1 and other variants. Here, using a cell culture infection assay, we quantified the intrinsic sensitivity of BA.2 and BA.1 compared with other variants of concern, Alpha, Gamma, and Delta, to five approved-neutralizing antibodies and antiviral drugs. Our assay revealed the diverse sensitivities of these variants to antibodies, including the loss of response of both BA.1 and BA.2 to casirivimab and of BA.1 to imdevimab. In contrast, EIDD-1931 and nirmatrelvir showed a more conserved activities to these variants. The viral response profile combined with mathematical analysis estimated differences in antiviral effects among variants in the clinical concentrations. These analyses provide essential evidence that gives insight into variant emergence's impact on choosing optimal drug treatment.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number105372
JournalAntiviral Research
Volume205
DOIs
StatePublished - Sep 2022

Keywords

  • Antiviral
  • BA.1
  • BA.2
  • Casirivimab
  • Imdevimab
  • Molnupiravir
  • Nirmatrelvir
  • Omicron
  • SARS-CoV-2
  • Sotrovimab

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Pharmacology
  • Virology

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