India gives emergency use approval to Eli Lilly’s covid antibody drug

U.S. drugmaker Eli Lilly and Co today said its antibody drug combination has received an emergency use approval in India for the treatment of mild to moderate COVID-19 case. A combination of the U.S. drugmaker’s monoclonal antibodies bamlanivimab and etesevimab has been given approval for restricted use in emergency situations in hospital settings in adults, the company’s Indian unit said.
Monoclonal antibodies mimic natural antibodies that the body generates to fight infection.
The company said it is in talks with the Indian government and regulatory authorities to donate the drugs to help speed up access and provide more treatment options for COVID-19.
A similar antibody cocktail developed by Regeneron and Roche in May received emergency use approval in India.
Lilly’s arthritis drug baricitinib in combination with remdesivir has already received restricted emergency use approval in India for the treatment of hospitalised COVID-19 adult patients requiring supplemental oxygen.
Eli Lilly had earlier said it has issued royalty-free, non-exclusive voluntary licenses to many Indian pharma companies to accelerate and expand the availability of baricitinib in India for Covid-19 patients.
India today reported its lowest daily increase in new infections since April 8 at 127,510, staying below the 200,000-mark for a fifth straight day.
India’s Zydus Cadila has already sought regulatory approval for clinical trials of its antibody cocktail to treat mild COVID-19. The treatment candidate, ZRC-3308, was earlier shown to reduce lung damage during animal trials, the drugmaker said, adding it was found to be safe and well-tolerated.

Source : livemint