February 26, 2021 -- The U.S. government is purchasing a minimum of 100,000 doses of Eli Lilly's bamlanivimab (LY-CoV555) 700 mg and etesevimab (LY-CoV016) 1,400 mg together, which are neutralizing antibodies that can treat mild to moderate COVID-19 in patients who are at high risk of progressing to a severe stage.
The government will pay Lilly $210 million and doses will be delivered through March 31. The government also has the option to purchase up to an additional 1.1 million doses through November 25 under the same terms as the base agreement.
The purchase agreement is on top of the U.S. government's commitment to buy a total of 1.45 million doses of bamlanivimab alone -- 1 million of which have already been delivered and the remaining 450,000 doses to follow suit by the end of March.
The neutralizing antibodies will be provided at no out-of-pocket cost to patients, but healthcare facilities may charge a fee for the product's administration, Lilly said.