Study of Eli Lilly Covid-19 Drug Paused Due to Safety Concern
October 13 2020 - 3:59PM
Dow Jones News
By Peter Loftus
A federally funded clinical trial testing an experimental Eli
Lilly & Co. Covid-19 treatment has been paused due to a
potential safety concern, the company said.
The study, which started in August, was testing whether adding
Lilly's antibody-based drug, LY-CoV555, to Gilead Sciences Inc.'s
remdesivir would benefit people hospitalized with Covid-19.
Indianapolis-based Lilly said Tuesday that an independent data
safety monitoring board, known as a DSMB, for the trial recommended
a pause in enrollment out of an abundance of caution.
"Lilly is supportive of the decision by the independent DSMB to
cautiously ensure the safety of the patients participating in this
study, " the company said. The company didn't release additional
details about the nature of the safety concern.
An spokeswoman for the National Institute of Allergy and
Infectious Diseases, which is sponsoring the study, didn't
immediately comment.
Lilly's drug is essentially a clone of immune-system agents
known as antibodies, which fight infections.
Testing of the antibody drug combined with remdesivir is being
conducted at sites in the U.S., Denmark and Singapore.
Lilly and the National Institutes of Health also are conducting
other studies of the antibody.
Last week, Lilly asked the Food and Drug Administration to
authorize emergency use of the antibody in non-hospitalized people
with recently diagnosed, mild-to-moderate Covid-19. The company
cited a study showing the drug reduced the rate of hospitalization
for patients.
The pause is the latest affecting Covid-19 pharmaceutical
testing. J&J said late Monday it was suspending trials
exploring its Covid-19 vaccine after a subject got sick.
Write to Peter Loftus at peter.loftus@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
October 13, 2020 15:44 ET (19:44 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2020 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD)
Historical Stock Chart
From Aug 2024 to Sep 2024
Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD)
Historical Stock Chart
From Sep 2023 to Sep 2024