FDA Approves COVID-19 Antibody Treatment
The antibody treatment is approved for administration in hospitals and other health care facilities.
- By Nikki Johnson-Bolden
- Nov 11, 2020
The FDA issued an emergency use authorization for Eli Lilly and Co.’s antibody therapy for coronavirus on November 9, according to CNN.
The pharmaceutical company’s single antibody treatment is the first monoclonal antibody that has been authorized to treat COVID-19. The antibody, which is called bamlanivimab, will be used to initiate an immune response against the virus.
Bamlanivimab is an antibody that is directed against the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2. The FDA authorized the treatment after a New England Journal of Medicine study found that it lowered the risk of hospitalization when used on patients with mild to moderate coronavirus cases.
“The FDA’s emergency authorization of bamlanivimab provides health care professionals on the frontline of this pandemic with another potential tool in treating COVID-19 patients,” said Dr. Patricia Cavazzoni, acting director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. “We will continue to evaluate new data on the safety and efficacy of bamlanivimab as they become available.”
Eli Lilly and Co. will ship the antibody treatment to a national distributor so that it can be distributed according to state’s allocation plans. More information can be found at fda.gov.
About the Author
Nikki Johnson-Bolden is an Associate Content Editor for Occupational Health & Safety.