(Reuters) – The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said it would limit the distribution of Eli Lilly and Co’s COVID-19 antibody therapy to three states due to concerns about the impact of a new variant on its effectiveness.
The United States government is evaluating recommendations for the use of the bamlanivimab antibody in regions where the CAL.20C variant, found in California, is circulating in large numbers, the department said. (https://bit.ly/3ljEZzK)
While evaluations are ongoing, direct application for bamlanivimab will not be allowed in California, Arizona and Nevada, said the HHS, adding that other authorized COVID-19 antibody therapies will remain available in the states.
In November, the U.S. FDA granted emergency use authorization for bamlanivimab and a two-antibody cocktail developed by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. Eli Lilly also has a combination therapy of two antibodies, bamlanivimab and etesevimab, which was authorized in February.
Eli Lilly said earlier this week that her combination therapy reduced the risk of hospitalization and death by 87% in patients with high-risk COVID-19 in one study. (https://reut.rs/3vlPyqo)
(Reporting by Amruta Khandekar; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli)