Lilly’s COVID-19 treatment against omicron receives emergency use approval

One of the best defenses for people at high risk of being admitted with COVID-19 – apart from vaccination – has been treatment with a class of therapies known as monoclonal antibodies. But omicron proved to be resistant to most of these.

Now Eli Lilly & Co. has won emergency use approval for a new monoclonal antibody treatment that promises to be effective not only against omicron, but a wide range of coronavirus variants, company officials said.

Mark Williams, senior medical director of Lilly’s global COVID-19 team, said it is a powerful antibody that the company generally calls neutralizing.

“It seems to work against any known variant of interest or concern that we have tested it with,” Williams said. “We think that’s just what’s needed at the moment with regard to omicron, another tool in the toolbox.”