Eli Lilly & Co. He said his antibody-based medicine prevented Covid-19 among many residents and nursing home staff and caregivers, results that indicate the drug complements vaccines as inoculations increase.
The drug, called bamlanivimab, reduced the risk of both staff and residents getting sick with Covid-19 by about 57 percent compared to a placebo, Lilly said Thursday. The effect was more pronounced among residents, the company said, an 80% reduction in the risk of Covid-19.
The findings signal the potential of a new preventative weapon that could boost the new Covid-19 vaccination effort to stop the pandemic.
Lilly said she would ask U.S. health regulators to expand the drug’s authorized use to include the protection of people in long-term care facilities where someone was recently diagnosed with Covid-19.
The partial results were from a final stage, or phase 3, study conducted in partnership with the National Institutes of Health. Lilly revealed the data in a press release and said she intends to publish the full results in a peer-reviewed medical journal.