Eli Lilly's Twin Neutralizing Antibody Combo Treatment Reduces Risk of COVID-19 Hospitalizations and Death by 70%

New data has shown that treatment with Eli Lilly and Company’s (Indianapolis, Ind, USA) neutralizing antibodies bamlanivimab (LY-CoV555) and etesevimab (LY-CoV016) together reduced the risk of COVID-19 hospitalizations and death by 70%.

Bamlanivimab 2800 mg and etesevimab 2800 mg together significantly reduced COVID-19-related hospitalizations and deaths in high-risk patients recently diagnosed with COVID-19, meeting the primary endpoint of the Phase 3 BLAZE-1 trial. Across 1,035 patients, there were 11 events (2.1%) in patients taking therapy and 36 events (7%) in patients taking placebo, representing a 70% risk reduction. There were 10 deaths total, all of which occurred in patients taking placebo, and no deaths in patients taking bamlanivimab and etesevimab together. Bamlanivimab and etesevimab together also demonstrated statistically significant improvements on all key secondary endpoints, providing strong evidence that the therapy reduced viral load and accelerated symptom resolution.

In the trial, the safety profile of bamlanivimab and etesevimab together was consistent with observations from other Phase 1, Phase 2 and Phase 3 trials evaluating these antibodies. Serious adverse events were reported at a similar frequency in the bamlanivimab and etesevimab together and placebo groups. Across multiple clinical trials, Lilly has collected safety and efficacy data in more than 4,000 participants treated with Lilly's neutralizing antibodies, either bamlanivimab alone or bamlanivimab and etesevimab together.

"These exciting results, which replicate positive Phase 2 data in a much larger set of patients, add valuable clinical evidence about the role neutralizing antibodies can play in fighting this pandemic. While the preliminary nature of Phase 2 results from COVID-19 neutralizing monoclonal antibodies may have limited acceptance of treatment, these Phase 3 data further strengthen the available evidence," said Daniel Skovronsky, M.D., Ph.D., Lilly's chief scientific officer and president of Lilly Research Laboratories. "The death toll from COVID-19 continues to rise around the world and hospitalizations, particularly in the U.S., have reached record highs. These data further support our belief that bamlanivimab and etesevimab together have the potential to be an important treatment that significantly reduces hospitalizations and death in high-risk COVID-19 patients.

"Notably, the 70% decrease in risk of hospitalizations or death seen in this Phase 3 trial of bamlanivimab and etesevimab together is consistent with the reduction in risk of hospitalization or ER visits seen with bamlanivimab alone in the Phase 2 trial. Bamlanivimab alone is authorized for emergency use as a treatment for high-risk patients with mild to moderate COVID-19 in the U.S. and widely available for use," Skovronsky added.

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