Lilly begins first clinical trial of antibody that targets SARS-CoV-2

Abstract

Eli Lilly and Company is the first company to begin a clinical trial of a monoclonal antibody that targets SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19. AbCellera, an antibody start-up in Vancouver, British Columbia, led the discovery of the antibody, which was isolated from one of the first people in the US to recover from a SARS-CoV-2 infection. The discovery effort began at the end of February. Now, just 3 months later, Lilly says it has given the experimental antibody, called LY-CoV555, to the first participants in a Phase I clinical study of people hospitalized with COVID-19. The trial began more than a month ahead of the companies’ earlier goal of late July. The 90-day turnaround from discovery to injection is likely a record for monoclonal antibody drug development. LY-CoV555 may also be the first experimental drug designed after the discovery of SARS-CoV-2 to be tested as a treatment for