Pharmacists Positioned as Key Educators as Monoclonal Antibodies Emerge as COVID-19 Immunization Option

In an interview with Pharmacy Times, Michael Mina, MD, PhD, Chief Medical Officer and Chief Epidemiologist, Invivyd, continued discussing the investigational monoclonal antibody VYD2311, focusing on its design, its resilience against emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants, and the role pharmacists may play in patient education.

Mina explained that VYD2311 was developed from adintrevimab, an earlier Invivyd monoclonal antibody that lost efficacy against Omicron. Rather than starting over with a new antibody framework, as many developers did, Invivyd selectively evolved adintrevimab to bind the same neutralizing interface while improving its tolerance to viral mutations. The antibody targets a class 1/4 epitope on the receptor-binding domain, which Mina described as immunorecessive and evolutionarily constrained, meaning the virus would lose substantial fitness if it mutated the site to escape immunity. According to Mina, the antibody neutralizes variants ranging from SARS-CoV-1 to current strains, with potency improving slightly over time. This epitope has been maintained from pemivibart (Pemgarda) to VYD2311.

Mina added that the LIBERTY study’s finding of no interference with mRNA vaccine immunogenicity supports this approach. Because mRNA vaccines target rapidly evolving regions of the spike protein, necessitating seasonal updates, the absence of interference suggests VYD2311 binds a distinct site outside the primary area of evolutionary pressure.

Mina emphasized that pharmacists serve as frontline health care professionals for pre-exposure prophylaxis, as individuals frequently consult pharmacists when they are not sick. He noted that pharmacists tend to be more attuned than other clinicians to the experiences patients should expect following immunization. Should VYD2311 receive approval, pharmacists may be essential in explaining the differences between vaccines and monoclonal antibodies, helping individuals make informed decisions about available immunization options. Mina added that Invivyd aims to ensure the pharmacy community is well versed in these distinctions.