INDIANAPOLIS — The U.S. government is purchasing a minimum of 100,000 doses of Eli Lilly and Company's combination therapy to treat COVID-19.
The combination therapy of bamlanivimab and etesevimab received an emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration on Feb. 9. The National Institutes of Health also recommended the use of the combination therapy earlier this week.
The use of bamlanivimab (700 mg) and etesevimab (1400 mg) together is administered to recently diagnosed COVID-19 patients with a mild to moderate case of the virus who are at higher risk to develop a more severe form of COVID-19.
Lilly said it will begin shipping the doses immediately and will be delivered through March 31, 2021.
"In our clinical trials, Lilly's neutralizing antibody therapies significantly reduced the risk of hospitalizations and death," said David A. Ricks, Lilly's chairman and CEO, in a press release. "The NIH recommendation provides additional guidance to clinicians treating high-risk patients with COVID-19, who now have another treatment option that could keep more people out of the hospital and save lives."
The U.S. government will have the option to purchase up to an additional 1.1 million doses through Nov. 25, 2021.
The government already committed to purchase a total of 1.45 million doses of bamlanivimab alone.
