Eli Lilly and Co.’s COVID-19 drug bebtelovimab is not currently authorized for emergency use in the United States, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said, citing it is not expected to neutralize the dominant BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 subvariants of Omicron.
Wednesday’s announcement takes away authorization from the last COVID-19 monoclonal antibody treatment, leaving Pfizer Inc.’s antiviral drug Paxlovid, Merck’s Lagevrio, and Gilead Sciences’ Veklury as treatments for the disease, besides convalescent plasma for some patients.
AstraZeneca Plc.’s monoclonal antibody Evusheld is also authorized for protection against COVID-19 infection in some people.
Eli Lilly and its authorized distributors have paused commercial distribution of the monoclonal antibody until further notice from the agency, while the U.S. government has also paused fulfillment of any pending requests under its scheme to help uninsured and underinsured Americans access the drug….