After the US paused distribution of Eli Lilly And Co's (LLY) COVID-19 antibody therapies in June, the pharmaceutical company says those therapies are once again being distributed.

What Happened

Eli Lilly has announced that the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, alongside the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, has resumed the shipment and distribution of bamlanivimab and etesevimab administered together. Direct ordering will be available to authorized states effective immediately.

The drugmaker says the decision to resume distribution aligns with FDA's issuance of an updated Fact Sheet and revised Letter of Authorization for bamlanivimab and etesevimab together. These include a revised limitation of authorized use, only allowing use in states, territories, and US jurisdictions with a low prevalence of variants that are resistant to treatment with the antibodies.

What's Next

As other authorized monoclonal antibody therapies are available, Eli Lilly is advising healthcare providers to choose an authorized option with activity against the circulating variants in their region. The pharmaceutical company says as variants continue to evolve and their patterns of transmission and prevalence shift, it will continue its work with governments and regulators worldwide to ensure its antibodies are available to appropriate patients.