Eli Lilly, GlaxoSmithKline-Vir release positive but difficult-to-interpret combo antibody data

As variants threatened Eli Lilly’s solo Covid-19 antibody bamlanivimab, the company teamed with rivals on a potential combo approach. Now they’ve declared interim success, though it’s not clear whether the results support the combo or just show how good their rival’s is alone.

The Indianapolis pharma on Monday announced that a combination of bamlanivimab and the GlaxoSmithKline-Vir antibody VIR-7831 successfully reduced viral loads in a Phase II study. Low-risk patients who received the drug after diagnosis saw a 70% greater reduction in virus after 7 days than patients on placebo. There were also statistically significant viral reductions after days 3 and 5.