Lilly to provide 650,000 additional doses of bamlanivimab to the US government
Eli Lilly and Co said on Wednesday that the U.S. government had purchased an additional 650,000 doses of its anti-Covid-19 antibody for $ 812.5 million.
The doses will be delivered until Jan. 31, with at least 350,000 delivered in December, the company said.
The drug was cleared by the UUS Food and Drug Administration for emergency use, and the government purchased 300,000 doses in October.
On Monday, November 9, 2020, the Food and Drug Administration authorized the emergency use of Bamlanivimab, the first antibody drug to help the immune system fight Covid-19. Photography: AP
The new purchase is part of a US government deal to secure nearly one million doses of Lilly’s bamlanivimab, a treatment similar to the anti-Covid-19 antibody from Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. that US President Donald Trump received in October during his illness.
Treatments belong to a class of drugs called monoclonal antibodies, which are made copies of antibodies created by the body to fight an infection. Lilly plans to manufacture up to one million doses of bamlanivimab by the end of 2020 for use worldwide until early next year.
23h45 GMT 23:45
Global death toll nears 1.5 million
The global death toll from Covid is close to 1.5m, at 1,488,992, according to Johns Hopkins University. There are 64.3 million cases worldwide.
Over the past few weeks, the global daily toll has steadily been above 11,000, with two days over 12,000 in the past seven days.
23 h 35 GMT 23:35
Former French President dies of complications from Covid
Former French President Valery Giscard d’Estaing has died from complications related to Covid-19, his founding announced on Wednesday.
Giscard, who was 94 and was the leader of France from 1974 to 1981, had recently been hospitalized in Tours for respiratory problems. He recovered but was readmitted in mid-November.
“His state of health had worsened and he died of Covid-19,” his family said in a statement to AFP.
The Valery Giscard d’Estaing Foundation declared on Twitter that: “In accordance with his wishes, his funeral will take place in the strictest family privacy.
He was known to have piloted the modernization of French society during his presidency, notably by allowing divorce by mutual consent and legalizing abortion, and was one of the architects of European integration:
23h29 GMT 23:29
Summary
Hello and welcome to today’s live coverage of the coronavirus pandemic.
My name is Helen Sullivan and I will bring you the latest news for the next few hours.
You can find me on Twitter (singing praises and shouting are the two options) @helenrsullivan.
Former French President Valery Giscard d’Estaing died on Wednesday from complications related to Covid-19, his founding announced. Giscard was admitted to hospital in September with respiratory problems. He recovered but was readmitted in mid-November. He was 94 years old.
Meanwhile, the global death toll from Covid is close to 1.5m, at 1,488,992. Currently, the world regularly suffers more than 10,000 deaths a day, according to Johns Hopkins University. There are 64.3 million cases worldwide.
Here are the other key developments of the last few hours.
Germany will extend restrictive measures designed to stem a wave of new Covid-19 infections until January 10, Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Wednesday after discussions with German state leaders. The measures, which were due to expire on December 20, include closing restaurants and hotels and limiting private gatherings to five people from two households.
Spain caps the end of the year celebrations at 10 and limits domestic travel. The Spanish government agreed with regional authorities on Wednesday that a maximum of 10 people per household will be allowed to gather for the Christmas and New Year holidays to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, Health Minister Salvador said. Illa.
Vaccines will not prevent coronavirus outbreak in the short term – WHO expert. The World Health Organization does not believe there will be enough coronavirus vaccines in the next three to six months to avoid an increase in the number of infections, its leading emergency expert has said.
The UK is putting speed ahead of public confidence in the vaccine, says the European agency. The European Medicines Agency has suggested UK regulators prioritize speed over gaining public trust in allowing the UK to become the first Western country to authorize a coronavirus vaccine.
France must conduct border checks to prevent skiers from spreading Covid. France will carry out random border checks during the holiday season targeting French skiers en route to and from foreign resorts – particularly Switzerland and Spain – where the slopes remain open, Prime Minister Jean Castex said.
Beware of fake coronavirus vaccines, Interpol says. Interpol has issued a global alert to law enforcement around the world, warning them that organized crime networks may try to sell fake Covid-19 vaccines or steal real supplies.
Putin orders Russia to start massive vaccinations against Covid-19. President Vladimir Putin has ordered Russian authorities to start voluntary mass vaccinations against Covid-19 next week, with Russia recording 589 new daily deaths from the coronavirus.
North America is seeing record daily cases of Covid-19. Covid-19 deaths in the Americas rose nearly 30% in November compared to late October, while North America sees record daily cases on record, WHO regional director Carissa Etienne said .
