The use of the treatment of vulnerable people on immunosuppressants doubles their antibody response to the coronavirus enhancer vaccination, a new study has suggested.
Researchers looked at the effect of discontinuing treatment with methotrexate – prescribed for inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and skin conditions such as psoriasis – for two weeks after the prick.
The drug is the most widely used immunosuppressive drug, with around 1.3 million people in the UK prescribing it.
The most important message for home increase is that the interruption of treatment for two weeks after Covid-19 B = booster vaccination doubles the immune response in week four and week 12 – sustained improvement in immune response
Many of them were among the 2.2 million clinically extremely vulnerable people advised to be protected during the first phase of the Covid-19 pandemic, depending on specialist advice and their risk factors.
Researchers found that after four weeks and 12 weeks, the antibody level was more than twice as high in the group where the medication was suspended for two weeks after vaccination, compared to the group that continued to use it.
Although there was a short-term increase in the risk of flare-ups of inflammatory conditions, most of these could be self-directed and put no pressure on the NHS, the study indicated.
Principal Investigator Professor Abhishek Abhishek at the University of Nottingham and Honorary Consultant-Rheumatologist at the Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust said: “The key message is that interruption of treatment for two weeks after Covid-19 booster vaccination doubles the immune response at week four. and week 12 – sustained improvement in immune response.
“However, there is an increased risk of disease flare-up in the four weeks after vaccination, when treatment is suspended for two weeks.
“The increased risk of disease flares must be kept in mind, but most of these torches appear to be soft, which do not require NHS assistance and are self-directed.”
The study findings were passed on to the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization (JCVI), which is considering the results and whether any recommendations should be made.
Prof Abhishek said: “The implementation of these results could significantly improve the protection provided by boosters against Covid-19 for millions of people living with these conditions.
“Covid-19 has made them vulnerable to serious illnesses while still having to live with the painful and worrying consequences of their conditions.
“We hope this evidence is the next step in helping them move their lives forward.”
The researchers warned that patients should not take matters into their own hands and rather consult their doctor before making any changes to their treatment.
The study planned to recruit 560 patients, but recruitment was stopped early by the independent study oversight committees when interim results from the first 254 participants showed a clear result.
During the trial, 127 participants were asked to suspend the use of methotrexate for two weeks and 127 to continue using it as usual, and peak antibody levels in the two groups were compared.
The Vaccine Reaction On Off Methotrexate (Pious) trial is funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research and the Medical Research Council.
It was led by experts at the University of Nottingham in collaboration with colleagues from the University of Manchester, Imperial College London, the University of Oxford and Queen Mary University London.
The findings are published in Lancet Respiratory Medicine.