The U.S. Temporarily Stops Allocating Regeneron and Lilly COVID-19 Antibodies

 

The U.S. Temporarily Stops Allocating Regeneron and Lilly COVID-19 Antibodies

The U.S. government has temporarily halted the distribution of COVID-19 antibody treatments from Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (REGN.O) and Eli Lilly (LLY.N), saying the treatments are unlikely to be effective against the omicron coronavirus variant.

The Omicron has become the dominant variant in the United States at lightning speed, reviving restrictions and expanding the country's testing infrastructure.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response said in a joint statement Thursday that the halt to allocating treatments will continue until new data about their effectiveness emerges.

German researchers also found that Eli Lilly and Regeneron treatments lose most efficacy when exposed to Omicron in lab tests.

However, U.S. agencies said that GlaxoSmithKline (GSK.L) and  Sotrovimab's competitor Vir Biotechnology (VIR.O) appear to work against Omicron.

The agencies said shipments of Sotrovimab, which were paused last month pending efficacy data against the alternative, have resumed, and 55,000 doses of the drug have begun to be delivered.