Eli Lilly Launches First Human Study of a Potential COVID-19 Antibody Treatment

Eli Lilly and Company announced on June 1, 2020 that the first human study of its investigational medicine, LY-CoV555, a potential COVID-19 antibody treatment, has launched in major medical centers across the United States.

The medicine is the first outcome of the collaboration between Lilly and AbCellera to create antibody therapies for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19, a Lilly press release said. The antibody was identified by AbCellera and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) from a blood sample from one of the first US patients who recovered from the virus.

According to the press release, if Phase I results are successful, Lilly plans to study LY-CoV555 in non-hospitalized COVID-19 patients and in vulnerable patient populations who typically are not candidates for vaccines.

"Later this month, we will review the results of this first human study and intend to initiate broader efficacy trials. At the same time as we are investigating safety and efficacy, we also are starting large-scale manufacturing of this potential therapy. If LY-CoV555 becomes part of the near-term solution for COVID-19, we want to be ready to deliver it to patients as quickly as possible, with the goal of having several hundred thousand doses available by the end of the year," said Daniel Skovronsky, MD, PhD, Lilly's chief scientific officer and president of Lilly Research Laboratories, in the press release. "We are grateful to collaborate with colleagues at AbCellera, NIAID, and the many academic institutions who have helped us reach this milestone in humanity's fight against COVID-19-a disease first characterized only six months ago. We are privileged to help usher in this new era of drug development with the first potential new medicine specifically designed to attack the virus.”

Source: Eli Lilly