Is Etesevimab and Bamlanivimab safe while breastfeeding?
Here is what LactMed, the Drugs and Lactation Database published by the U.S. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), reports about Etesevimab and Bamlanivimab. The text below is quoted from that source — it is not our own verdict.
Summary of use during breastfeeding
The distribution of etesevimab and bamlanivimab was stopped in June of 2021 because of a lack of efficacy against COVID-19 variants. Etesevimab and bamlanivimab are monoclonal antibodies directed against the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19. No information is available on their clinical use during breastfeeding. Because etesevimab and bamlanivimab are large protein molecules with molecular weights of 146,000 Da, the amount in milk is likely to be very low.[1] It is also likely to be partially destroyed in the infant's gastrointestinal tract and absorption by the infant is probably minimal.[2]
Effects on the breastfed infant
Relevant published information was not found as of the revision date.
Effects on milk supply
Relevant published information was not found as of the revision date.
Levels in milk
Maternal Levels. Relevant published information was not found as of the revision date.
Infant Levels. Relevant published information was not found as of the revision date.
Alternatives LactMed lists
“No published information” means the studies do not exist yet — not that Etesevimab and Bamlanivimab is known to be harmful, and not that it is known to be safe. Your prescriber or pharmacist can weigh your baby's age and whether a better-studied alternative would do the same job. Worth asking before stopping a medicine you need.
Source: Drugs and Lactation Database (LactMed), National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), via NCBI Bookshelf, record “Etesevimab and Bamlanivimab” (etesevimab). LactMed on NCBI Bookshelf. LactMed is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Educational summary of an authoritative source — not medical advice. Never start, stop, or change a medicine while breastfeeding without confirming with your doctor.