Eli Lillyโs antibody combination receives FDA emergency use authorization to treat COVID-19 patients
FILE - This is an April 26, 2017, file photo showing Eli Lilly corporate headquarters in Indianapolis. Eli Lilly continues to back a potential COVID-19 treatment despite research showing that it may not work on hospitalized patients. The drugmaker said Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2020, that It remains confident that its drug may stop COVID from developing in other patients. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings, File)HOUSTON โ Eli Lillyโs announced Tuesday the approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for its combination antibody therapy. Lilly will collaborate with the bio-tech company Amgen to manufacture up to one million doses of etesevimab for administration with bamlanivimab by mid-2021.
Antibody drugs are no cure but seem promising for COVID-19
But experimental antibody drugs like the one Trump was given are among the most promising therapies being tested for treating and preventing coronavirus infections. Eli Lilly and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. are asking the U.S. government to allow emergency use of their antibody drugs, which aim to help the immune system clear the virus. The company made a successful Ebola combo antibody treatment this way. A: Researchers are still trying to determine the best candidates for antibody treatment. About 5.8% of patients given placebo required hospitalization or an emergency room visit versus 0.9% of those given the antibodies.