FDA Authorizes Another Monoclonal Antibody
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently issued an emergency use authorization for a new monoclonal antibody treatment called bebtelovimab from Eli Lilly, to help reduce the chances of severe illness in high-risk patients with COVID-19.
The Department of Health and Human Services issued a statement that the federal government would purchase 600,000 courses of the new monoclonal antibody treatment, even before the FDA issued the EUA based on data that shows it works against the omicron variant.
HHS already agreed to receive 300,000 courses of the monoclonal antibody treatment in February, and will receive 300,000 courses in March. The contract also includes an option for 500,000 more doses.
There are other monoclonal antibody treatments already on the market, such as Regeneron, also from Lilly, which did not show the same effectiveness against severe illness when it came to the omicron strain. The shipments of these two treatments were stopped on Dec. 23, 2021, by the federal government, but shipments resumed on Dec. 31, 2021.
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