A COVID-19 drug made by AstraZeneca did nearly as well against subvariants of the Omicron virus variant as the main variant, according to a new study. Researchers with AstraZeneca, the Washington University School of Medicine, and other institutions used mice to test the monoclonal antibody combination, known as Evusheld, and a drug made by Vir Biotechnology, against the subvariants which have been increasing in prevalence in the United States. They found small reductions in neutralizing activity for AstraZeneca’s drug but concluded the treatment retained much of its potency. The study was published as a preprint. “The findings demonstrate that Evusheld was effective at protecting against infection in the lungs, a critical disease site for severe COVID-19, across all Omicron subvariants tested,” Dr. Michael Diamond, one of the researchers, said in a statement released by AstraZeneca. The findings “further support Evusheld as a potential important option to help protect vulnerable patients such …