Eli Lilly Begins Clinical Trial for COVID-19 Therapies

Eli Lilly and Co. reports it has begun clinical trials for testing therapies for COVID-19.

The drug company said it has entered into an agreement with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to study baricitinib.

The study will investigate baricitinib as a potential treatment for hospitalized patients diagnosed with COVID-19, beginning this month in the U.S. with a planned expansion to additional sites including Europe and Asia. Results are expected within the next two months.

Baricitinib, an oral inhibitor marketed as Olumiant, is approved in more than 65 countries as a treatment for adults with moderately to severely active rheumatoid arthritis, according to Eli Lilly.

Lilly also announced that it will advance testing of an investigational antibody for use with pneumonia patients hospitalized with COVID-19 who are at a higher risk of progressing to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Lilly will test whether the antibody can reduce the progression to ARDS or the need for mechanical ventilation in COVID-19 patients. This trial will begin later this month at several U.S. centers.

Source: Eli Lilly