Eli Lilly's COVID-19 antibody drug, bamlanivimab, significantly reduced the risk of contracting symptomatic COVID-19 in residents and staff of long-term care facilities, the drugmaker said Jan. 21.
In a phase 3 trial conducted with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, residents given the drug had up to an 80 percent lower risk of contracting COVID-19 versus those in the same facility who were given a placebo.
The drug reduced the risk of both staff and residents getting sick with COVID-19 by about 57 percent eight weeks after getting the drug, Lilly said. The trial consisted of 965 people, of which 299 were residents and 666 were staff.
"We are exceptionally pleased with these positive results, which showed bamlanivimab was able to help prevent COVID-19, substantially reducing symptomatic disease among nursing home residents, some of the most vulnerable members of our society," said Daniel Skovronsky, MD, PhD, Lilly's chief scientific officer.
Read the full news release here.
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