A combination of two Eli Lilly & Co. antibody-based drugs to treat recently diagnosed Covid-19 was authorized by federal health regulators, the latest treatment aimed to help people at high risk of severe disease from avoiding hospitalization.
The move by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday night allows doctors to add a new monoclonal antibody, named etesevimab, to one called bamlanivimab that the agency authorized last year.
The combination, administered together via a single intravenous infusion, is cleared for patients who are at high risk of worsening to severe Covid-19 including those 65 and older or who have certain medical conditions.
Monoclonal antibodies are engineered proteins that mimic the immune system’s ability to fight off viruses. Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. makes a similar antibody-based Covid-19 treatment that previously received FDA authorization.
Companies are developing Covid-19 antibody treatments that are more convenient to take and can tackle emerging virus mutations.
