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The Food and Drug Administration on Friday authorized a new antibody treatment to fight Omicron.
Why it matters: The drug, developed by pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly, is an critical tool for treatment as new variants continue to spread, the FDA said,
Details: The FDA has authorized the monoclonal antibody drug Bebtelovimab for treatment of mild to moderate COVID symptoms in patients ages 12 and older who are at high risk for severe COVID.
- "Bebtelovimab works by binding to the spike protein of the virus that causes COVID-19," the agency said in a release.
- It should be used to treat patients "for whom alternative COVID-19 treatment options approved or authorized by the FDA are not accessible or clinically appropriate."
What they're saying: "Today’s action makes available another monoclonal antibody that shows activity against omicron, at a time when we are seeking to further increase supply," Patrizia Cavazzoni, director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said in a statement.
- "This authorization is an important step in meeting the need for more tools to treat patients as new variants of the virus continue to emerge."