The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that it will allocate initial doses of bamlanivimab, Eli Lilly and Company’s investigational monoclonal antibody therapeutic, to state and territorial health departments, which, in turn, will distribute them, according to a press release from the department.
The therapeutic, which is administered as a single-dose infusion, received emergency use authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on November 9 for the treatment of non-hospitalized patients with mild or moderate confirmed cases of COVID-19.
On October 28, the federal government had announced a purchase of 300,000 doses of bamlanivimab, and it can purchase up to 650,000 additional doses if needed through June 30, 2021, for distribution across the country.
HHS said it will use a “data-driven system” to determine allocations based on confirmed COVID-19 cases in each state and territory over the previous seven days.
The infusion process takes approximately one hour and may be followed by an observation period. Under the EUA, bamlanivimab may only be administered in settings in which healthcare providers have immediate access to medications to treat a severe infusion reaction, such as anaphylaxis, and the ability to activate the emergency medical system (EMS), as necessary. Facilities also must have space available to administer the medication in a manner that minimizes infection transmission.
