Eli Lilly Gets Emergency Use Permit For Antibody Drugs To Treat COVID-19 Patients In India

The Indian subsidiary of US biopharmaceutical giant, Eli Lilly and Company announced on Tuesday that it received the permit for restricted emergency use of its antibody drugs in India for treatment of COVID-19.

The said antibody-drug is a combination of bamlanivimab 700mg and etesevimab 1,400mg, can now be used for the treatment of patients with mild to moderate COVID-19.

Luca Visini, the managing director of Lilly India said in his public statement, “We are pleased that we have another innovative treatment option to offer India’s healthcare providers who continue to be at the forefront of the battle against COVID-19."

"Lilly is committed to contributing to the alleviation of the Covid-19 pandemic in India and around the world. We will continue to assess and evaluate how our existing portfolio and ongoing research can benefit patients with COVID-19," he added.

Usage of antibody-drug:

Bamlanivimab and etesevimab combined can be given to adults and paediatric patients (12 years and older of at least 40 kg weight) in a restricted manner via injections. Mild and moderate cases of COVID-19 can be treated with the drug.

The patients should have a positive report of the RT-PCR COVID-19 test and should be declared at high risk of developing severe COVID-19 and, or hospitalisation. They should not require oxygen.

According to the statement of the company, Lilly is urging the central government to the regulatory authorities to donate bamlanivimab and etesevimab so that more and more people can have access to the drug and have options for treatment of COVID-19.

Before India, the drug combination of Bamlanivimab and etesevimab has been authorised for emergency use in the US and a few European Union countries for the treatment of mild to moderate COVID-19.

In May this year, Eli Lilly has also received approval for the emergency use of their rheumatoid arthritis drug, baricitinib, which can be used in combination with antiviral remdesivir, for the treatment of suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19 infection in adults in hospitals.

These patients require requiring supplementary oxygen, mechanical ventilation, or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). The company has since then donated at least 650,000 tablets of baricitinib to the government of India. They have also issued eight voluntary licenses to Indian pharmaceutical manufacturers of generic medicines to increase the availability of baricitinib to patients.