HHS allocates Lilly's newly-approved mild to moderate COVID-19 therapy

The US Department of Health and Human Services on Tuesday announced plans to allocate initial doses of Eli Lilly’s (NYSE: LLY) investigational monoclonal antibody therapeutic, bamlanivimab, which received emergency use authorization from the US Food and Drug Administration November 9 for the treatment of non-hospitalized patients with mild or moderate confirmed cases of COVID-19.

On October 28, the federal government announced a purchase of 300,000 doses of bamlanivimab. The HHS will allocate these doses to state and territorial health departments which, in turn, will determine which healthcare facilities receive the infusion drug. The federal government can purchase up to 650,000 additional doses if needed through June 30, 2021, for distribution across the country.

“Authorization and distribution of this new Eli Lilly antibody treatment is a significant step forward in treating patients and bridging us to the rollout of safe and effective vaccines, with all of these efforts made possible by Operation Warp Speed,” said HHS Secretary Alex Azar. “Federal allocation of therapeutics like Lilly’s, in cooperation with our state and local government partners, will help ensure that they go to the patients who need them most just days after the product is authorized,” he added.