Temporary Halt Due to Safety Issues During Phase 3 Clinical Trial Leads to Development Abandonment
US NIH: "No Safety Issues but Provides Little Benefit to Patients"
[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The American pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly has decided to halt the development of its antibody treatment for the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), which was in Phase 3 clinical trials. This decision comes after the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NAID), which supported the treatment's development, confirmed that it is unlikely to benefit hospitalized patients, leading to the abandonment of the project.
According to the Associated Press on the 26th (local time), Eli Lilly announced that it would discontinue the development of its COVID-19 treatment 'LY-CoV555.' The drug was developed in collaboration with Canadian biotechnology company AbCellera and was an antibody treatment based on the blood of recovered COVID-19 patients. It entered Phase 3 clinical trials in August, but the trials were temporarily halted on the 13th due to safety concerns during the study.
The NAID, part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), which supported Eli Lilly's antibody treatment, stated in a press release, "No safety issues were found in Eli Lilly's antibody treatment clinical trials," but added, "It was confirmed that the drug is unlikely to benefit hospitalized COVID-19 patients." Previously, the NIH had supported Eli Lilly through the 'ACTIV program,' which sponsors pharmaceutical companies developing COVID-19 treatments and vaccines.
Notably, this drug had attracted attention as it is similar to Regeneron's antibody treatment 'REGN-COV2,' which was prescribed to U.S. President Donald Trump when he was diagnosed with COVID-19 and hospitalized earlier this month. After his discharge, President Trump praised Regeneron's antibody treatment and also mentioned Eli Lilly's antibody treatment. Both drugs received emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), with a pledge to make them available free of charge to all citizens.
In a statement released on the same day, Eli Lilly said, "We will continue to develop a separate antibody treatment targeting patients with mild COVID-19 symptoms in cooperation with the U.S. government," and added, "We will continue drug development with AbCellera."
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