MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 10th November, 2020) The US food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted an emergency use authorization (EUA) for Eli Lilly's investigational coronavirus antibody treatment called bamlanivimab.
"Having concluded that the criteria for issuance of this authorization ... are met, I am authorizing the emergency use of bamlanivimab for treatment of COVID-19," FDA Chief Scientist Denise Hinton said in a Monday release.
According to the FDA, the investigational drug could be effective for the treatment of mild to moderate COVID-19 cases in adults and children who are 12 years of age and older and who are at risk of needing hospitalization because of the coronavirus infection.
Eli Lilly and Company said that the FDA's decision was a crucial development in the fight against the coronavirus.
"Today's emergency use authorization for Lilly's investigational #COVID19 antibody is a key moment in the fight against this disease. There's more work to be done, but we're proud of this contribution to the global effort to beat COVID-19," the American pharmaceutical company said on its official Twitter page on Monday.
Eli Lilly applied for the EUA in October. According to the FDA, the company will now pass bamlanivimab to authorized distributors who will then supply healthcare facilities with the new treatment, as directed by the US government and in collaboration with local authorities.
