AbCellera (ABCL) -Discovered Bamlanivimab Together with Etesevimab Authorized as the First and Only Antibody Therapy for Emergency Use in COVID-19 Patients Under the Age of 12

AbCellera (Nasdaq: ABCL) today announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has expanded the Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for bamlanivimab and etesevimab administered together to include pediatric patients under the age of 12, including neonates (infants <1 year old). The EUA allows for bamlanivimab and etesevimab administered together in the treatment of mild to moderate COVID-19 as well as post-exposure prophylaxis in certain patients.

The expanded EUA is based on data from the BLAZE-1 Phase 2/3 clinical trial studying bamlanivimab and etesevimab administered together for the treatment of pediatric and infant patients with mild to moderate COVID-19 and who are at high risk for severe disease progression. The median time to complete symptom resolution as recorded in a trial specific daily symptom diary was 7 days for subjects treated with bamlanivimab 700 mg and etesevimab 1,400 mg and 5 days for subjects treated with weight-based dosing of bamlanivimab and etesevimab. No subject died or required hospitalization due to COVID-19.

Pseudovirus and authentic virus studies conducted by AbCellera’s partner, Eli Lilly and Company (Lilly), demonstrate that bamlanivimab and etesevimab together retain neutralization activity against the Delta variant, which is currently the predominant variant of concern within the U.S.

For more information about the use of bamlanivimab with etesevimab for COVID-19, click here or contact Lilly's 24-hour support line at 1-855-LillyC19 (1-855-545-5921).

About AbCellera’s Response to COVID-19

AbCellera initially mobilized its pandemic response platform against COVID-19 in March of 2020, resulting in the discovery of bamlanivimab, the first monoclonal antibody therapy for COVID-19 to reach human testing and to be authorized for emergency use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Bamlanivimab alone and together with other antibodies has treated hundreds of thousands of patients, preventing COVID-19-related hospitalizations and death.

AbCellera’s ongoing efforts to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic have identified thousands of unique anti-SARS-CoV-2 human antibodies. These include bamlanivimab, bebtelovimab, and other antibodies that are in various stages of testing by AbCellera and its partners.

AbCellera’s pandemic response capabilities were developed over the past three years as part of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Pandemic Prevention Platform (P3) program. The goal of the P3 program is to establish a robust technology platform for pandemic response capable of developing field-ready medical countermeasures within 60 days of isolation of an unknown viral pathogen.

About Bamlanivimab

Bamlanivimab is a recombinant, neutralizing human IgG1 monoclonal antibody (mAb) directed against the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2. It is designed to block viral attachment and entry into human cells, thus neutralizing the virus. Bamlanivimab was developed from an antibody that was discovered from the blood of a recovered COVID-19 patient using AbCellera’s pandemic response platform, in partnership with the Vaccine Research Center (VRC) at the National Institutes for Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). Within one week of receiving the sample, AbCellera screened over five million antibody-producing cells to identify and isolate approximately 500 unique antibodies that bind to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. The binding antibodies were then tested by AbCellera, the VRC, and Lilly to find those most effective in neutralizing the virus. Bamlanivimab was selected as the lead candidate from this group of antibodies and was both the first therapeutic candidate specifically developed against SARS-CoV-2 to enter human clinical trials in North America, and to receive EUA from the FDA. Bamlanivimab alone and/or administered with etesevimab are authorized under special use pathways in more than 22 countries. In the U.S., bamlanivimab is currently only authorized for emergency use with etesevimab.

Results from a Phase 2/3 study in people recently diagnosed with COVID-19 in the ambulatory setting (BLAZE-1, NCT04427501) were published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Results from a Phase 3 study of bamlanivimab in residents and staff at long-term care facilities (BLAZE-2, NCT04497987) were published in the Journal of American Medical Association. A Phase 2 study assessing the efficacy and safety of bamlanivimab alone, and bamlanivimab with other neutralizing antibodies versus placebo for the treatment of symptomatic low-risk COVID-19 in the outpatient setting (BLAZE-4, NCT04634409) has completed enrollment.

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