Bibb Medical Center Provides COVID Infusion Therapy

Antibody cocktail significantly reduced hospitalizations and deaths in trials

By
Mike Hobson
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Bibb Medical Center is an Alabama health care provider  participating with Eli Lilly company in an FDA authorized trial to provide specialized infusion therapy to pre-hospital patients under certain conditions who have a positive COVID test. The Bibb Voice sat down with Chelsea Barton, CRNP from Bibb Medical Center to talk about the work that she has been doing with patients at BMC. Click on the link above to see the short video.

The pharmaceutical company released this information about the trial:

An antibody cocktail developed by Eli Lilly significantly reduced Covid-19-related hospitalizations and deaths in high-risk patients, the company announced Tuesday.

Data from more than 1,000 patients enrolled in Lilly’s late-stage study found that the antibody cocktail reduced viral load and accelerated symptom resolution.

“These exciting results, which replicate positive Phase 2 data in a much larger set of patients, add valuable clinical evidence about the role neutralizing antibodies can play in fighting this pandemic,” said Dr. Daniel Skovronsky, Lilly’s chief scientific officer and president of Lilly Research Laboratories.
Bamlanivimab, one of the antibody treatments in the cocktail, is already authorized for emergency use by the FDA to treat mild to moderate Covid-19 in high-risk patients. This study, however, studied the therapy when used in combination with etesevimab, another antibody treatment not yet authorized.
The early findings from Lilly have not been peer-reviewed or published in a scientific journal.
By the numbers: Out of the 1,035 patients enrolled in the study, 10 in the placebo group died. None taking the antibody cocktail died.
Similarly, 36 patients in the placebo group were hospitalized, compared to just eleven patients taking the cocktail therapy.
The company did not reveal how many patients were in the treatment and placebo groups.
Why it matters: The late-stage study suggests that this antibody cocktail could significantly curtail deaths — a key finding as the death toll from Covid-19 continues to rise across the globe.
What’s next: Lilly submitted a request to the FDA in November for emergency use authorization of the antibody cocktail. It remains under review by the FDA.
The company also plans to explore even lower doses of the cocktail to maximize the available supply and potentially lessen the burden on the health care system through reduced infusion times.

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