Eli Lilly testing Covid-19 antibody treatment with Vir Biotech's drug

Coronavirus chronicle

Reuters
27 January, 2021, 06:55 pm
Last modified: 27 January, 2021, 06:57 pm
The companies said on Wednesday that the collaboration marks the first time monoclonal antibodies from separate companies will be tested together
FILE PHOTO: The logo and ticker for Eli Lilly and Co. are displayed on a screen on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, US, May 18, 2018. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

Eli Lilly and Co is testing its Covid-19 antibody therapy in combination with another treatment by Vir Biotechnology Inc and its partner GlaxoSmithKline , in an effort to combat new variants of the coronavirus.

The companies said on Wednesday that the collaboration marks the first time monoclonal antibodies from separate companies will be tested together.

A study based on laboratory tests showed Covid-19 antibody drugs made by Eli Lilly may be less effective against a new coronavirus variant found in South Africa.

"Adding VIR-7831 to our study is an important part of our commitment to develop therapies to treat current and future strains of Covid-19 until vaccines are widely available and utilized," Eli Lilly's Chief Scientific Officer Daniel Skovronsky said.

Lilly said on Tuesday it will move a new Covid-19 antibody therapy to human trials targeting the coronavirus variant that was first found in South Africa.

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