The U.S. government has agreed to purchase 300,000 doses of Eli Lilly’s COVID-19 antibody treatment. It plans to pay $375 million for the vials of the drug.
An additional 650,000 doses could be purchased from the Indianapolis-based pharmaceutical company through June 2021.
Patients who receive the medication distributed by the U.S. government will not have any out-of-pocket costs for the drug, but may have to pay a fee for its administration.
Peer reviewed data published in the New England Journal of Medicine showed the drug may have “potential” in treating mild to moderate COVID-19 patients.
READ MORE: Eli Lilly Halts Trial For COVID-19 Treatment On Hospitalized Patients
The Food and Drug Administration has yet to approve an emergency use authorization application from Lilly that was submitted earlier this month.
Lilly said it plans to produce up to 1 million doses by the end of the year.
Contact reporter Samantha at shorton@wfyi.org or follow her on Twitter at @SamHorton5.
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