World's First Study of a Potential COVID-19 Antibody Treatment in Humans Is Underway
The first human trial of a treatment specifically designed to attack SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, began Monday. Also called LY-CoV555, this potential new medicine from Eli Lilly and Company is an antibody treatment, which means that it uses the same protective proteins that our bodies produce after fighting off and recovering from COVID-19.
In collaboration with AbCellera, Eli Lilly announced that phase 1 of the study has begun, and patients involved in the study have been given the first dose of the treatment.
Phase 1 will test the potential drug on patients hospitalized with COVID-19. If Phase 1 shows that the treatment is safe and well-tolerated, the next step will be to study its efficacy on non-hospitalized patients. The company later intends to test it as a preventative treatment for vulnerable populations.
The researchers will review the results of the first human study later this month.