A new COVID-19 antibody remedy to be distributed in Texas

SAN ANTONIO (KTSA News) –  Governor Greg Abbott has announced that a new COVID-19 antibody therapy that just got emergency approval from the FDA a few days ago will be distributed across Texas as early as next week.

The Texas Department of State Health Services is allocating an initial shipment of bamlanivimab, the Eli Lilly & Company monoclonal antibody treatment, for acute care hospitals across every geographic region of the state. These weekly shipments of doses have been provided to the state at no cost through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Areas of distribution of bamlanivimab will be determined based on three criteria: new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the community, new lab-confirmed COVID-19 admissions to hospitals, and total lab-confirmed COVID-19 patients in hospitals.

“This initial allotment of bamlanivimab will help health care professionals effectively treat cases of COVID-19 within their communities and aid in reducing hospitalizations,” said Abbott.

Bamlanivimab is for outpatient use in people who have tested positive for COVID-19 and are at increased risk of severe disease. It has been shown to prevent hospitalizations in some patients when used before they become very ill.