Monoclonal Antibodies in Prevention and Early Treatment of COVID-19 in Lung Transplant Recipients: A Systematic Review and Perspective on the Role of Monoclonal Antibodies in the Future

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has significantly impacted lung transplant recipients (LTR), who remain vulnerable to severe COVID-19 despite vaccination, prompting the use of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) as a treatment option. This systematic review summarizes the clinical efficacy of mAbs against COVID-19 in adult LTR and provides a perspective on the role of mAbs for infectious diseases in the future. A systematic search of PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase and Cochrane was conducted for studies reporting clinical outcomes of adult LTR or solid organ transplant recipients (SOTR) including LTR with drug-specific outcomes. Twelve studies were included. Pre-exposure prophylaxis with mAbs reduced COVID-19 breakthrough infection in LTR. Early treatment of COVID-19 with mAbs correlated with a reduced incidence of severe COVID-19 outcomes, although statistical significance varied among studies. Overall, observational studies have demonstrated a potential benefit of mAbs in the treatment of COVID-19 in LTR, both in prophylaxis and early treatment, as well as the importance of early administration. Moreover, mAb therapy appeared safe and could be a viable option against other pathogens, a route that warrants further investigation.