Lilly to test antibody drug in nursing homes

Eli Lilly announced this morning that it will begin a 2,400-patient Phase 3 study to test whether its experimental anti-Covid-19 antibody drug can keep nursing home patients from developing the disease. The study will be conducted with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. The antibody will be given to patients and staff at places where there has been a COVID-19 case to see if it can stop them from developing the disease.

Lilly's chief scientific officer, Dan Skovronsky, talked about the potential for such a study in a STAT+ Conversation last month. "Once someone has come into contact with some of the disease, it's too late for an active vaccine," Skovronsky said. "But a passive immunization like our antibody could be valuable. When you think about the populations that are suffering the most, it's the elderly, it's the immunocompromised, it's patients in nursing homes and long-term care facilities."

Lilly is using an unusual strategy: a fleet of refitted recreational vehicles (RVs) that can prepare study drug, do lab work, and pull trailers that can be use as on-site infusion clinics. The antibody was developed in collaboration with Abcellera, a Vancouver biotech.