Eli Lilly announced on Wednesday that her antibody medication to combat the coronavirus reduces the risk of hospitalization and death from the disease by 87 percent.
In a new study of 769 high-risk COVID-19 patients, the company said four people in the placebo group died from the coronavirus. No one died during antibody treatment, which combines bamlanivimab and etesevimabits.
Wednesday’s announcement announced the results of the second major late-stage study of Eli Lilly’s combination drug.
The results of the previous study, published in January, showed that a higher dose of the drugs reduced hospital admissions and deaths by 70 percent. By lowering the dosage to achieve better results, the supply of the Eli Lilly drug can be expanded.
“These compelling data … provide healthcare providers with additional information about using bamlanivimab and etesevimab together as a potentially life-saving treatment to help those most at risk of serious complications from COVID-19,” said Daniel Skovronsky, chief of scientific research at COVID-19. Eli Lilly. officer and president of Lilly Research Laboratories.
U.S. regulators first approved the drug for use in coronavirus patients 12 years and older who are at high risk of developing a serious case of COVID-19 in February. It was approved for use in Europe earlier this month.
The promising results come as experts raise concerns about the number of cases across the country. While the overall number of cases appears to have declined, new infectious variants of the disease have also spread across the US
“The consistent results observed in multiple cohorts of this study over several months, even as new strains of COVID-19 emerged, indicate that bamlanivimab with etesevimab maintains its effects against a range of variants, particularly those found in the US. circulating, ”said Skovronsky.