Zelie resident among first to receive Evusheld treatment for immunocompromised patients
When Zelienople resident Susan Dispennett received a call from UPMC about a new treatment called Evusheld, she didn’t know what to expect.
Dispennett, who has had rheumatoid arthritis for more than 20 years, takes medicine that suppresses her immune system. Despite having received a full course of the COVID-19 vaccine and a booster shot, being immunosuppressed meant the COVID-19 vaccine was unlikely to work as well to protect her.
The call explained that Dispennett’s situation qualified her to receive Evusheld, a recently approved monoclonal antibody combination designed to prevent COVID-19 infections in immunocompromised individuals who may not respond as well to vaccination.
The treatment was first distributed in limited doses to United States health care providers at the end of December, and UPMC has since used a lottery system to contact those who may be eligible to receive it.
Dispennett initially turned down the opportunity, but changed her mind after talking to her daughter, Betsy Tedesco, who works with UPMC Passavant in Cranberry.
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