COVID-19 vaccine is ineffective if a person is on certain medications

To date, there is both clinical and real evidence that vaccination against COVID-19 offers you reliable protection against the virus. Vaccinations have dramatically reduced the number of infections in the United States and brought the number of cases to the lowest level since the first days of the pandemic. But if you are one of the millions of people taking certain types of drugs, research suggests that you may not have the antibodies you need to protect yourself against COVID-19 even after being vaccinated. What kind of drugs are these? Best life online.

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A large study, published in the medical journal Cancer Cell on June 5, aims to determine how effective the currently available COVID-19 vaccines are for cancer patients. The researchers used data from 200 eligible patients from the Montefiore Health System and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York to test antibody levels after full vaccinations.

The results showed that although the majority of cancer patients in the study responded well to vaccinations, 30% of those taking immunosuppressive drugs showed no signs of seroconversion, which is the production of antibodies in response to the virus.

The findings add to the growing evidence that an estimated six million Americans are taking medications such as methotrexate, rituxan, and certain steroids that suppress the immune systemare not getting the full effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines. These medications can be used to treat certain types of cancer, arthritis, psoriasis, and prevent organ rejection. These findings have added fuel to the argument that additional doses should be given to immunocompromised people to bolster their immune response.

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“There should be a national study focusing on transplant patients receiving booster shots,” said Balázs Halmos, MD, an oncologist at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City and lead author of the study.

Routine revaccination of such patients is already being practiced in countries such as France. A study conducted there showed that although only 40% of immunocompromised patients had antibodies after two doses, four weeks after the third injection, the number increased to 68%.

While Moderna and Pfizer plan to conduct studies on a third dose in immunocompromised patients, some researchers argue that the slow pace of federal agency action makes it difficult to gather vital information.

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“This is a very simple study,” said Jose Scher, MD, a rheumatologist at NYU Langone Health who led the study on the effects of methotrexate on vaccines. “It’s not like building a rocket.”

At the moment, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that “antibody testing is not recommended for assessing SARS-CoV-2 immunity following COVID-19 vaccination,” as the results may be inaccurate.

The department says that "revaccination is not currently recommended after people who received COVID-19 vaccines during chemotherapy or treatment with other immunosuppressive drugs restore immunity." However, experts emphasize that their recommendations for additional vaccinations may change as more information becomes available.

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