Eli Lilly initiated phase 3 testing of its COVID-19 antibody drug Aug. 3, employing mobile research units to conduct the study on-site at nursing homes and assisted living facilities.
The trial, which is being conducted in partnership with the National Institutes of Health, will study the LY-CoV555 antibody's effectiveness in preventing COVID-19 contraction among residents and staff at long-term care facilities. It will enroll up to 2,400 residents and staff who live or work at facilities where someone has recently been diagnosed with COVID-19.
The researchers will evaluate whether a single dose of Eli Lilly's experimental antibody drug decreases the infection rate over four weeks and COVID-19 complications over eight weeks.
"COVID-19 has had a devastating impact on nursing home residents," Daniel Skovronsky, MD, PhD, Eli Lilly's chief scientific officer, said in a news release. "We're working as fast as we can to create medicines that might stop the spread of the virus to these vulnerable individuals. While it's not easy to conduct clinical trials in this setting, we're taking on the challenge in an effort to help those who need us the most."