Pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly has announced that its upcoming COVID-19 antibody drug is able to effectively treat disease caused by both the Omicron and Delta variants.
Another company, Regeneron, has also announced that it’s developing a similar new drug which can itself treat disease caused by the new variant.
The announcements come after research showed that Eli Lilly and Regeneron’s current monoclonal antibody drugs, used to prime the immune system’s capacity to fight Covid, are less effective against Omicron than past variants.
While both companies are working to get their new Covid drugs approved quickly, Omicron will likely be the dominant variant in the U.S. before they are widely available.
Dr Fauci warned on Good Morning America Thursday that Omicron cases are likely doubling every three days in the US.
Confirmed cases jumped 32 per cent overnight, from 214 to 319, although immunologists widely agree that these are just the tip of the iceberg, and that the United States likely already has tens of thousands of Omicron cases.
David Ricks, Eli Lilly’s CEO, announced on CNBC on Wednesday that the company is developing a new monoclonal antibody drug that fares better against Omicron
Monoclonal antibody treatments don’t replace vaccines, but may be lifesaving for unvaccinated and immunocompromised individuals infected with Covid. Pictured: A doctor holds a vial of monoclonal antibodies (file image)
Monoclonal antibody treatments for Covid work by providing the immune system with an infusion of antibodies designed in a lab specifically to fight Covid disease.
People infected with the coronavirus may get this treatment soon after testing positive to reduce severe symptoms and reduce their chances of going to the hospital.
While the treatment is not as effective as vaccination in reducing severe disease, it can be a lifesaver for unvaccinated people or those who are immunocompromised.
The treatments rely on the coronavirus’ spike protein – a piece of the virus that has mutated heavily in the Omicron variant.
Due to these mutations, scientists were concerned that existing monoclonal antibody treatments would not work as well against Omicron as they have against past variants.
Recent trial data, announced on Tuesday, have validated these concerns for Eli Lilly and Regeneron, two pharmaceutical companies that manufacture monoclonal antibody treatments.
‘Due to the substitutions contained within the spike protein of the Omicron variant of concern,’ Eli Lilly’s treatment ‘is likely to experience reduced neutralization activity,’ said a company spokesperson.
Luckily, both Eli Lilly and Regeneron are already developing new monoclonal antibody treatments that are more effective against the novel variant.
David Ricks, Eli Lilly’s CEO, appeared on CNBC’s Closing Bell on Wednesday to discuss the company’s new treatment.
The company developed its new treatment ‘because we knew this virus is gonna mutate,’ he said, ‘and also the desire to create more potent antibodies, where you need to use less of this hard to make, expensive medicine.’
Eli Lilly aimed to develop a treatment that could be used more efficiently and made more affordable for patients.
The new treatment, called 1404, is also more effective against the Omicron variant, early studies have shown.
‘We have data, in hand, showing that 1404’s effect will not be limited by Omicron. It neutralizes both Delta and Omicron,’ Ricks said.
‘We had the foresight to begin that development last January, and we now have clinical data,’ he said. The treatment is currently in Phase Two trials.
‘We’re in the process of talking to regulators in places like Germany and the U.S. to see how we can make that available pretty quickly,’ Ricks said.
Regeneron is also developing a new drug that’s more effective against Omicron. Pictured: CNBC reporter Meg Tirrell discusses Regeneron’s news
Similarly, CNBC reported on Thursday that Regeneron’s new monoclonal antibody drug ‘shows potency’ against Omicron, as well as Delta.
While Regeneron’s current antibody cocktail is not as effective against Omicron as it was against past variants, CNBC reported, a next-generation drug addresses this issue.
Regeneron plans to start human trials in the first quarter of 2022, though the plan is ‘pending discussion with regulatory agencies.’
‘This was suspected from modeling data, but now there are actual lab data that confirm’ the existing cocktail’s reduced effectiveness, said CNBC reporter Meg Tirrell.
Regeneron’s and Eli Lilly’s current treatments work well against the Delta variant, which is still the dominant coronavirus strain in the U.S.
But Omicron is quickly gaining ground on Delta.
According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Omicron multiplied from causing 0.4 percent of U.S. cases in the week ending December 4 to causing 2.9 percent of cases in the following week.
The variant appears to be doubling every two days, CDC Director Dr Rochelle Walensky said at a recent press briefing.
At that rate, Omicron could become the dominant variant in the U.S. by the end of 2021. It has already swept the United Kingdom, which recorded an all time high of 78,610 new COVID cases on Wednesday, with 10,000 of those estimated to be Omicron.
Omicron is most prevalent in the New York and New Jersey region, where it composed 13 percent of new cases as of December 11.
In New York City, Covid cases have more than doubled in the last two weeks: from 140 new cases for every 100,000 people on November 29, to 311 new cases per 100,000 on December 13.
While the new treatments from Eli Lilly and Regeneron are promising, they’re unlikely to be available for use before Omicron becomes dominant in the U.S.
The situation is ‘fairly concerning,’ said Tirrell.
‘We don’t yet have the antiviral drugs from Pfizer and Merck which do stand up against the variants, as we wait to potentially get the antibody drugs updated, if we need them to be, against Omicron.’