礼来公司宣布，美国政府将额外购买150，000个疗程的单克隆抗体疗法，这是唯一一种仍能抵抗所有疾病的单克隆抗体疗法新冠肺炎(新型冠状病毒肺炎)受关注的变体，包括BA.2。
这项名为bebtelovimab的新疗法花费了政府大约2 . 75亿美元。
此前，白宫一再警告说，在没有额外救助资金的情况下，用于购买新疫苗和治疗方法的资金已经告罄，包括像Paxlovid和单克隆抗体这样的抗病毒疗法。
这一新的采购是从100亿美元的COVID资金中支付的，白宫本月早些时候将这笔资金用于支付更多的疫苗和治疗。
官员们表示，当时他们“别无选择”，只能转移这些美元，因为国会尚未批准额外的资金。
重新分配的100亿美元中包括用于购买更多单克隆抗体治疗的3亿美元——这笔钱在周三的收购中几乎用完了。
礼来公司的一位发言人告诉美国广播公司，美国现有的这种治疗的供应，包括新的购买，预计将满足目前的需求，直到8月下旬。
今年春天早些时候，在白宫转移100亿美元资金之前，乔·拜登总统说美国可能会耗尽如果没有进一步的资金保障，单克隆抗体的供应将在“5月底”结束，计划订单将不得不取消。
三月，美国广播公司新闻获得的内部文件显示政府计划开始大幅削减各州可用的病毒治疗数量，并将开始回收和重新吸收未使用的剂量，以供以后重新分配，因为救援资金已在国会停滞不前。
礼来公司说，这份15万门课程的新订单的交付应该不迟于8月5日完成。那是礼来公司将它们送到健康和人类服务部的日期，然后该部门将负责向各州分配剂量。
礼来公司说，在新的采购协议中，政府可以选择额外订购35万剂疫苗，这需要在“9月14日之前”实施。
“礼来公司及其合作者在整个疫情与联邦政府密切合作，以确保广泛和公平地获得我们的单克隆抗体，”礼来公司公司的董事长兼首席执行官David Ricks在给ABC新闻的一份声明中说。“虽然国会正在努力增加新冠肺炎的资金，但礼来公司和美国政府将继续合作，支持bebtelovimab的可用性，以最大限度地提高美国市场的公平性和可及性。”
Government nearly exhausts monoclonal COVID treatment funding with new purchase
Eli Lilly has announced the U.S. government is buying an additional 150,000 courses of the only monoclonal antibody therapy left that still holds up against allCOVID-19variants of concern, including BA.2.
The new purchase of the therapy, called bebtelovimab, is costing the government roughly $275 million.
This comes after the White House has repeatedly warned the money is running out to buy new vaccines and treatments, including antiviral therapies like Paxlovid and the monoclonal antibodies, without additional relief funds.
This new purchase was paid for out of the $10 billion in COVID funding, which the White House diverted earlier this month to pay for more vaccines and treatments.
Officials said at the time they were left with "no choice" but to shift those dollars, since Congress has not yet approved additional funding.
That redirected $10 billion included $300 million to buy more monoclonal antibody treatments -- a cache now all but exhausted by Wednesday's purchase.
The U.S.'s existing supply of this treatment, including the new purchase, is expected to meet present demand through late August, an Eli Lilly spokesperson told ABC.
Previously this spring, and before the White House diverted the $10 billion in funds, President Joe Bidensaid the U.S. could run outof monoclonal supplies "by the end of May," if further funding wasn't secured, and that planned orders would have to be canceled.
In March, ABC Newsobtained internal documentsshowing the administration planned to start significantly cutting the number of viral treatments available to states, and would begin reclaiming and reabsorbing unused doses for later redistribution, in light of the relief funding that had stalled in Congress.
Delivery of this new order of 150,000 courses is supposed to finish no later than Aug. 5, Eli Lilly said. That's the date Lilly will get them to the Health and Human Services Department, which will then be responsible for allocating doses to states.
There is an option in this new purchase agreement for the government to order an additional 350,000 doses, which would need to be exercised "no later than Sept. 14," Eli Lilly said.
“Lilly and its collaborators have partnered closely with the federal government throughout the pandemic to ensure broad and equitable access to our monoclonal antibodies,” Eli Lilly's chair and CEO David Ricks said in a statement to ABC News. “While Congress works toward additional COVID-19 funding, Lilly and the U.S. government will continue to work together to support the availability of bebtelovimab to maximize equity and accessibility in the U.S. market.”
