The European Commission has signed a contract with the American pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly for the supply of a drug for the treatment of patients with coronavirus, the EC press service said.
The drug is a combination of two monoclonal antibodies for the treatment of patients who do not require oxygen therapy, but have a high risk of severe COVID-19.
The drug was included in the first portfolio of five promising therapeutic agents announced by the Commission in June as part of the COVID-19 treatment strategy.
The drug is currently being approved by the European Medicines Agency. 18 Member States have signed up for a joint purchase of more than 220,000 therapeutic doses of the drug.
In addition to Eli Lilly, the EC has already signed contracts for the supply of coronavirus drugs with manufacturers Roche (Switzerland) and GlaxoSmithKline (UK).
Meanwhile, Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakidi said more than 73 percent of the adult population in the community was fully vaccinated. However, she warned that vaccines could not be the only way to fight the coronavirus and that it was necessary to continue work to provide treatment, according to the BNR.