Eli Lilly gets emergency OK for coronavirus therapy

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Eli Lilly gets emergency OK for coronavirus therapy
It’s the latest treatment to get emergency use authority ahead of an expected vaccine

Josh Marcus
10 hours ago

Related video: US authorises use of anti-viral drug remdesivir for coronavirus patients
Related video: US authorises use of anti-viral drug remdesivir for coronavirus patients (AFP via Getty Images)
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Pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly & Co. was awarded emergency use authority for its coronavirus antibody therapy, expanding access for a treatment that could help those with mild-to-moderate Covid diagnoses stay out of the hospital.

After being approached last month, the US Food and Drug Administration granted the authority. It has also previously granted similar status to other treatments for more severe cases, including using plasma from recovered patients and Gilead Sciences’ antiviral drug remdesivir.

Health experts are exploring antibody-based treatments as an early step to help patients avoid the kind of serious coronavirus lung damage that lands them in the hospital. They’ve also been discussed as a short-term way to stop people who’ve been exposed to a local outbreak, such as nursing-home attendants, from getting sick.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, has said these treatments could be a “bridge” to a vaccine.