A couple of new drugs to treat patients seriously infected with coronavirus.

I noticed a headline today that stated the United States is buying 100,000 doses of Lilly’s COVID-19 antibody therapy.

New Option for COVID-19 Hospitalizations

https://www.newsmax.com/finance/streettalk/us-eli-lilly-coronavirus-antibodu-therapy/2021/02/26/id/1011614/ Last month, Eli Lilly & Company concluded testing of two antibody drugs for seriously ill COVID-19 patients. Today, the federal government bought one-hundred thousand doses to be delivered in the next four weeks. The United States reserved the right to buy another million-plus doses by the end of the year.

The new Lilly drug contains two antibodies for COVID-19 – bamlanivimab and etesevimab. One million doses of the individual antibody, bamlanivimab, have been delivered, with another nearly half-million doses due by the end of March 2021.

Testing

https://investor.lilly.com/news-releases/news-release-details/new-data-show-treatment-lillys-neutralizing-antibodies Each of the antibodies have undergone extensive testing. Clinical trials started in 2020 to determine the efficacy of combining two drugs to reduce the death rate among patients suffering extreme symptoms from COVID-19. The randomized, placebo-controlled tests demonstrated a 70% reduction in the risk of death.

Bamlanivimab

https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/coronavirus-covid-19-update-fda-authorizes-monoclonal-antibody-treatment-covid-19 Last November, the FDA granted emergency use authorization for the monoclonal antibody therapy in both adults and pediatric patients. The trial results showed a significant reduction in hospitalizations and severity of symptoms from COVID-19.

Bamlanivimab, as a recombinant, neutralizing human IgG1 monoclonal antibody, targets and block the spike protein of the coronavirus from entering human cells. It was developed in less than three months.

Etesevimab

https://www.bloomberg.com/press-releases/2021-02-26/junshi-biosciences-u-s-government-to-purchase-minimum-of-100-000-doses-of-etesevimab-and-bamlanivimab-neutralizing-antibody There are many articles written about bamlanivimab but not many about etesevimab. Like bamlanivimab, etesevimab is a recombinant, neutralizing antibody that binds to the surface of the spike protein to block the affinity between the spike protein and the ACE2 receptor cells in the nose and lungs.

This specific drug was partially developed in China by Junshi Biosciences and completed the clinical trials successfully when treating COVID-19 patients.

Conclusion

Both these antibody therapies combined and produced a 70% reduction in deaths from hospitalized coronavirus patients. Additionally, it prevented many patients from having to enter the hospital.

It is not a vaccine and does not prevent a person from catching the virus, but it does serious damage to the virus’s ability to enter the human body.

Live Longer & Enjoy Life! – Red O’Laughlin – RedOLaughlin.com

 

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