Lilly starts Phase III Trial of LY-CoV555 in COVID-19 prevention study in care homes

4 August 2020

US pharma major Eli Lilly’s (NYSE: LLY) shares edged 1.7% higher to $152.84 yesterday, after it announced the initiation of BLAZE-2, a Phase III trial studying LY-CoV555 for the prevention of SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 in residents and staff at long-term care facilities in the USA.

LY-CoV555, the lead antibody from Lilly’s collaboration with privately-held Canadian firm AbCellera, is a neutralizing antibody against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. The rapid spread of SARS-CoV-2 among residents of long-term care facilities combined with the higher mortality rate for the elderly creates the urgent need for therapies to prevent COVID-19 in this vulnerable population.

Nursing homes account for about 8% of Covid-19 cases in the U.S., but about 41% of deaths, according to The New York Times, making them an important place to a study a drug to see whether it can prevent transmission of the coronavirus.

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