Covid: US halts study into promising antibody treatment

US government officials are putting an early end to a study testing an Eli Lilly antibody drug for people hospitalised with Covid-19 because it doesn’t seem to help

US government officials are putting an early end to a study testing an Eli Lilly antibody drug for people hospitalised with Covid-19 because it doesn’t appear to be helping them.

Independent monitors had already put a hold on enrollment in the study on 13 October because of a possible safety issue.

On Monday, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which sponsors the study, said a closer look found no safety problem but a low chance that the drug, bamlanivimab (LY-CoV555), would prove helpful for patients.

The NIAID said in a statement that 326 people were enrolled in the trial and were receiving either the Eli Lilly drug or a placebo.

Patients in the study were also receiving the antiviral drug remdesivir —approved last week by the Food and Drug Administration — as well as standard care for patients suffering from the coronavirus.

It is a setback for what was seen as one of the most promising treatment approaches for Covid-19.

Donald Trump received a similar experimental antibody drug from Regeneron Pharmaceuticals on an emergency basis when he was hospitalised with the coronavirus earlier this month.

In a statement, Eli Lilly notes that the government is continuing a separate study testing the antibody drug in mild to moderately ill patients, to try to prevent hospitalisation and severe illness.

The Indianapolis-based  company will continue its own studies testing the drug, which is being developed in partnership with Canadian company AbCellera.

Antibodies are proteins the body makes when an infection occurs; they attach to a virus and help it be eliminated.

The experimental drugs are concentrated versions of one or two specific antibodies that worked best against the coronavirus in lab and animal tests.

Both Eli Lilly and Regeneron have asked the FDA to grant emergency use authorisation for their drugs for Covid-19 while late-stage studies continue.

Eli Lilly says its request is based on other results that the drug is beneficial.

There was a sharp drop in the company’s stock price in early trading on Tuesday.

President Trump has talked about making antibody treatments more available since his hospitalisation.