The FDA has pulled the emergency use authorization (EUA) for bebtelovimab, the monoclonal antibody from Eli Lilly (NYSE:LLY), because it no longer adequately protects against the BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 omicron subvariants.
In late November, the BQ.1 variant was responsible for 27.9% of U.S. COVID-19 infections, according to CDC. The BQ.1.1 variant represented 29.4% of infections. Meanwhile, the BA.5 variant made up 19.4% of infections. The BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 variants are likely to grow even more prevalent in the coming weeks.
FDA authorized bebtelovimab in February, which remained effective against the original omicron variant.
Bebtelovimab was the last monoclonal antibody to have an EUA. However, FDA has suspended its authorizations of several other such antibodies during the pandemic with the rise of COVID-19 variants that elude them.
An FDA Health Care Provider Fact Sheet stated that several variants, including the omicron subvariants BQ.1 and BQ.1.1, we…