A recent Phase 3 trial found that Lilly’s bamlanivimab (LY-CoV555) and etesevimab (LY-CoV016) administered jointly led to an 87% reduction in hospitalization and deaths in high-risk patients recently diagnosed with COVID-19.
The randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial administered 700 mg of bamlanivimab (LY-CoV555) and 1400 mg of etesevimab (LY-CoV016) to 511 patients in the treatment arm. FDA granted emergency use authorization to the dosing regimen, which is also supported by the European Medicines Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use. A total of 258 patients in the cohort of the BLAZE-1 study received a placebo.
There were no deaths in the treatment arm but four deaths in the placebo arm. All of the deaths were considered related to COVID-19.
The BLAZE-1 trial has been ongoing for several months, giving Lilly the ability some indication that its monoclonal antibodies are effective against a range of SARS-CoV-2 variants circulating in the U.S.
Bamlanivimab has been granted emergency use status in a string of countries, including Canada, Panama, Kuwait, Israel, Rwanda and Morocco. The antibody is available free of charge in the last two countries, thanks to support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
The U.S. government has a deal with Eli Lilly to purchase 100,000 doses of the drug combination for $210 million.
Filed Under: clinical trials, Drug Discovery, Infectious Disease
