Eli Lilly just paused its COVID-19 antibody drug trial over safety concerns
- Eli Lilly said Tuesday that it paused trials of its Covid-19 antibody treatment.
- The company said an independent board raised safety concerns and recommended the pause.
- President Donald Trump was treated with a similar antibody cocktail made by Regeneron while hospitalized earlier this month.
Eli Lilly paused trials of its monoclonal antibody treatment for Covid-19 after an independent board of experts raised health concerns, the company said Tuesday.
"We are aware that, out of an abundance of caution, the ACTIV-3 independent data safety monitoring board (DSMB) has recommended a pause in enrollment," Eli Lilly told Business Insider.
"Lilly is supportive of the decision by the independent DSMB to cautiously ensure the safety of the patients participating in this study," it continued.
Brief19's Dr. Jeremy Faust first reported the pause.
The late-stage trial is one of several that are testing monoclonal antibody treatments, which are based on the antibodies from recovered patients, for safety and effectiveness. Pauses in these studies are not uncommon.
US President Donald Trump was treated with a similar antibody cocktail, made by Regeneron, while hospitalized with the virus earlier this month. Lilly on October 7 submitted an application for its emergency approval after sharing early, promising results about how the treatment was working.
Shares of Eli Lilly fell about 2% from previous levels following the announcement.
On Monday, Johnson & Johnson paused its phase-three COVID-19 vaccine trial because of a participant's "unexplained illness."