Italy's 'Eli Lilly and Regeneron' Receive Emergency Use Authorization for COVID-19 Treatments

At the entrance of Piazza del Duomo, a famous tourist spot in Milan, Italy, police set up barricades and control the number of visitors on December 18 last year (local time) to prevent the spread of COVID-19. (Photo by Yonhap News)

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Jiwon] Italy has approved the emergency use of COVID-19 antibody treatments developed by the U.S. pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly and the biotech company Regeneron.

On the 5th (local time), the Italian Medicines Agency (AIFA) explained the reason for approval in a press release, stating, "Although the data is insufficient and the degree of efficacy is uncertain, it is considered appropriate to provide treatment options for non-hospitalized mild patients at risk of progressing to severe illness."

Regeneron's 'REGN-COV2' and Eli Lilly's 'LY-CoV555' are among the first COVID-19 antibody treatments developed worldwide. Both received emergency use authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in November last year.

Regeneron's antibody treatment is also well known for being used when former U.S. President Donald Trump was infected with COVID-19.

As of the previous day, Italy reported 14,218 new daily COVID-19 cases and 377 deaths. The cumulative totals were 2,611,659 cases and 90,618 deaths, respectively.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.