US buys 600K doses of new COVID antibody awaiting clearance

Addressing diminished treatment options in the omicron wave, the Biden administration has purchased enough of a yet-to-be approved antibody drug to treat 600,000 COVID-19 patients, officials said Thursday.

The new monoclonal antibody from pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly will be shipped out to states free of charge if the Food and Drug Administration approves the company’s request for emergency use authorization, said Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra. “We are going to try to be there to meet the demand,” he added.

The government’s move comes after the two leading monoclonal antibody treatments in the U.S. turned out to be ineffective against the omicron variant, which now accounts for nearly all COVID-19 cases in the country. Data indicate that the Lilly drug works against omicron, including the new BA.2 mutation. 

Laboratory-made monoclonal antibodies stand in for the human body’s immune system by acting to block an invading virus. Delivered intravenously or by injection, the medicines are meant to be administered early in an infection to forestall severe disease and death. Former President Donald Trump received an antibody combination after he tested positive for the coronavirus in 2020.