Trump officials promise fair distribution of new COVID-19 antibody drug, but limited supply and logistical problems loom

The Trump administration has pledged fast and fair distribution of Eli Lilly’s newly sanctioned COVID-19 treatment, but tight supply and logistical barriers will present a challenge. The monoclonal antibody-based intervention (bamlanivimab), the first to help protect people with mild illness from clinical deterioration, received emergency use authorization on Monday. It is targeted to people at high risk for severe disease and hospitalization if their symptoms worsen, but it does not help the general population or individuals who have already developed severe symptoms. The possibility that patients in disadvantaged communities may not receive equal access concerns some. “In some populations, you have half the people who will meet that high-risk criteria, so who you give it to and how you make that decision isn’t clear,” said Helen Boucher, chief of infectious diseases at Tufts Medical Center in Boston. “The worry is whether black and brown people get access who we know are being disproportionately affected by this disease.” Also, the amount of doses each state receives will hinge on its number of confirmed cases and hospitalizations, with states such as Vermont receiving just 20 doses this week but South Dakota—which is being hit hard—receiving 820. Another issue is delivery of the treatment, which requires 1 hour of I.V. administration. “This is something we’ve never done before on this scale,” said Jeanne Marrazzo, director of the infectious-diseases division at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. “You don’t just need the facilities, but the dedicated staffing to administer this drug.”