The Food and Drug Administration has granted an emergency use authorization for a coronavirus antibody treatment developed by Eli Lilly. The monoclonal antibody therapy has been shown to alleviate some symptoms and reduce the risk of hospitalization for patients with mild cases of COVID-19.
"As illustrated by today's action, the FDA remains committed to expediting the development and availability of potential COVID-19 treatments and providing sick patients timely access to new therapies where appropriate, while at the same time supporting research to further evaluate whether they are safe and effective," FDA Commissioner Dr. Stephen M. Hahn said in a statement. "Through our Coronavirus Treatment Acceleration Program, the FDA continues to work around the clock and use every tool at our disposal toward these efforts."
The antibody treatment, called bamlanivimab, is the first of its kind to be approved for treating the coronavirus and must be administered at a hospital or other health care facility.
Eli Lilly said that it will begin shipping around 300,000 doses immediately and plans to produce up to one million doses by the end of the year.
"The rapid development and availability of bamlanivimab could not have been achieved without the relentless work of our Lilly team, collaboration across the industry and the urgent work being done by the government to ensure appropriate allocation to patients who need it the most," David A. Ricks, Lilly's chairman, and CEO, said in a statement.
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