Is Tixagevimab and Cilgavimab 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 Tixagevimab and Cilgavimab. The text below is quoted from that source — it is not our own verdict.
Summary of use during breastfeeding
The US FDA has withdrawn emergency-use authorization for tixagevimab and cilgavimab because of a lack of efficacy against some strains of SARS-CoV-2. These drugs are monoclonal antibodies directed against the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 and used for prophylaxis in immune-compromised individuals. No information is available on their clinical use during breastfeeding. Because tixagevimab and cilgavimab are large protein molecules, the amount in milk is likely to be very low.[1] They are also likely to be partially destroyed in the infant's gastrointestinal tract and absorption by the infant is probably minimal.[2] Until more data become available, tixagevimab and cilgavimab should be used with caution during breastfeeding, especially while nursing a newborn or preterm infant.
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 Tixagevimab and Cilgavimab 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 “Tixagevimab and Cilgavimab” (Evusheld). 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.