(Reuters) – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Friday distribution of GlaxoSmithKline and Vir Biotechnology’s antibody treatment for COVID-19 would be controlled by the government.
The drug was authorized by the FDA in May but no supply deal was signed at the time with the U.S. government, which is already distributing rival treatments by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc and Eli Lilly.
It was not clear whether a contract had been signed between the government and GSK/Vir. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment.
The drug, sotrovimab, belongs to a class of drugs called monoclonal antibodies, which mimic natural antibodies the body generates to fight off infection.
(Reporting by Manas Mishra in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli)
