Eli Lilly's COVID-19 antibody drug, bamlanivimab, significantly reduced hospitalizations and deaths due to COVID-19 in a phase 3 clinical trial.
The trial, which included more than 1,000 people, saw 11 hospitalizations in the group of patients taking the antibody drug, compared to 36 in the placebo group, a 70 percent reduction.
There were 10 deaths total, all among patients in the placebo group.
The results show "strong evidence that the therapy reduced viral load and accelerated symptom resolution," Eli Lilly said.
The drug is currently authorized for the treatment of mild to moderate COVID-19 in high-risk patients.
The drugmaker said last week that bamlanivimab significantly reduced the risk of contracting symptomatic COVID-19 in residents and staff of long-term care facilities. But the drug was also found to be ineffective in treating patients infected with B.1.351, the novel coronavirus variant first identified in South Africa.
Read Eli Lilly's full news release here.
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