Eli Lilly wins FDA's emergency nod for COVID-19 antibody—but, thanks to mixed data, it's limited

The U.S. just had another COVID-19 drug authorized for emergency use. But the approval is limited—and, with at least one vaccine launch on the horizon, industry watchers wonder whether drugs to treat the illness have any staying power. The FDA authorized Eli Lilly’s bamlanivimab for emergency use on Monday, making it the first antibody therapy to win that distinction. Dubbed LY-CoV555, it's an anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody therapy the Indianapolis pharma is co-developing with AbCellera. The OK comes with some caveats: It's limited to patients 12 years and older who aren't hospitalized but who are at high risk of developing severe illness, including elderly people and those with certain underlying conditions. And Lilly is advising infusion within 10 days of symptom onset.