VIR - Eli Lilly Regeneron COVID-19 antibody therapies lose effectiveness against Omicron - study

COVID-19 antibody therapies developed by Eli Lilly (NYSE:LLY) and Regeneron (NASDAQ:REGN) lose most of their activity when exposed to the newly detected Omicron variant of coronavirus, a lab-based study conducted by a group of German researchers has found. The antibody therapies in question, bamlanivimab, and etesevimab from Eli Lilly (LLY) and Ronapreve from Regeneron (REGN) are FDA authorized treatments for COVID-19. "The neutralizing activity of several monoclonal antibodies is strongly affected against the Omicron variant and will limit treatment options for Omicron-induced COVID-19," the group researchers from Cologne and Berlin said Tuesday. The findings are yet to undergo peer review, which typically precedes publication in a medical journal. In response to findings, Eli Lilly (LLY) said that new mutations in the spike protein of the variant could render its antibody therapy less effective against the disease. "Due to the substitutions contained within the spike protein of the Omicron variant of

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Eli Lilly, Regeneron COVID-19 antibody therapies lose effectiveness against Omicron - study