Antibody Combination from Eli Lilly, GSK and Vir Shows Promise

Eli Lilly’s bamlanivimab with Vir Biotechnology’s and GlaxoSmithKline’s VIR-7831 appear to be a potent antibody combination against COVID-19 infection, significantly reducing viral load in a mid-stage study.

In the phase 2 trial, patients saw a 70 percent reduction in high viral load at one week after treatment when compared to the placebo group, the companies announced yesterday. No serious adverse events were reported in the study.

Last week, GSK and Vir filed for an FDA Emergency Use Authorization for VIR-7831, after the treatment was shown to provide an 85 percent reduction in hospitalization and death rates vs. placebo.