Background: The SARS-CoV-2 infection is now a part of the everyday lives of immunocompromised patients, but the choice of treatment and the time of viral clearance can often be complex, exposing patients to possible complications. The role of the available antiviral and monoclonal therapies is a matter of debate, as are their effectiveness and potential related adverse effects. To date, in the literature, the amount of data on the use of combination therapies and on the multiple lines of anti-SARS-CoV-2 therapy available to the general population and especially to inborn error of immunity (IEI) patients is small. Methods: Here, we report a case series of five adult IEI patients managed as inpatients at three Italian IEI referral centers (Rome, Treviso, and Cagliari) treated with combination therapy or multiple therapeutic lines for SARS-CoV-2 infection, such as monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), antivirals, convalescent plasma (CP), mAbs plus antiviral, and CP combined with antiviral. Results: This study may support the use of combination therapy against SARS-CoV-2 in complicated IEI patients with predominant antibody deficiency and impaired vaccine response.
Immunization against COVID-19 is needed in patients with immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs). However, data on long-term immunity kinetics remain scarce. This study aimed to compare the humoral and cellular response to COVID-19 in patients with immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs) compared to healthy controls. We compared the humoral and cellular response to SARS-Cov-2 elicited by vaccination and/or infection in a prospective cohort of 20 IMID patients compared with a group of 21 healthcare workers (HCWs). We assessed immunity before and after the third and fourth dose of BNT162b2 or after COVID-19 infection using quantitative IgG anti-SARS-CoV-2 Spike antibody (anti-S-IgG), neutralization assay, and specific interferon-gamma (IFN-g) release assay (IGRA). The responses were compared with those of healthy controls. The two groups were similar in age and total exposure, becoming infected for the first time, mainly after the third dose. Neutralizing antibodies and IGRA were negative in 9.5% of IMID patients but not in any HCWs. No significant difference was found between neutralization titers to BA.1 in the IMID and the HCW groups. The study highlights the SARS-CoV-2 immunological responses in healthy controls and IMID patients, suggesting that the combined stimuli of vaccination and infection in IMID patients could promote a more profound immunological response.