Lilly establishes antibody infusion centers across Indiana
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Indianapolis-based pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly and Co. has partnered with multiple health care organizations to launch three COVID-19 antibody infusion centers across Indiana.
News 8 spoke with Janelle Sabo, platform leader of therapeutics, who spoke about the treatment and the need for these centers.
Gillis: Tell us about the new initiative Eli Lilly has launched.
Sabo: Much like Lilly has since the beginning of the pandemic we’ve partnered with the state of Indiana and health systems across the state to increase access to COVID-19 therapeutics by piloting infusion centers in various parts of the state creating easy access for Hoosiers who are positive and qualify for neutralizing antibodies.
Gillis: For Hoosiers unaware of what an infusion center is … what does that mean? What are we talking about?
Sabo: If you’re COVID-19 positive and you’re at high risk for hospitalization or death there are COVID-19 therapeutics that are administered through an IV that takes about one hour to infuse. These are administered in something called an infusion center. They may also be done in the local ER (emergency room) or in your doctor’s office.
Gillis: Where are these located?
Sabo: In the Hoosier state–there are lots of infusion centers across the state–but Lilly partnered with the state of Indiana and several health systems to put one in the north, one here in the Indianapolis greater metro area and there is a new one that’s in the south of Indiana to serve all of the geographic areas across the state.
In looking at how we wanted to create access across the state we wanted to make sure that they were geographically distributed making it easy for Hoosiers in rural areas or underserved communities as well as urban areas to have access. So, each of the centers allow people to have access literally within an hour to an hour and a half of their home.
Gillis: This is especially important because we’re seeing more cases in these areas. For them to have access to treatment is critical.
Sabo: It is. Because if you test positive … once you are positive and symptomatic you only have 10 days to get access to the COVID-19 therapeutics and in that time period you need to have a conversation with your doctor to make sure it’s an appropriate choice for you and then get on the schedule to get the treatment if you’re going to an infusion center or an ER to have it administered.
So, we really have to make sure that early on they have access. But the second thing is we need people to know quickly where to go and it’s easy to get to.
Gillis: So, this isn’t necessarily for people who are hospitalized and need to get the treatment. It’s for people who go to their doctor and their doctors say you may experience a severe case so let’s punt you over to one of these infusion treatment centers.
Sabo: That’s right. So, these medications were developed for the ambulatory, healthy population meaning those individuals who have been recently diagnosed with COVID-19. They are symptomatic. They are within ten days of symptom onset. They are not yet sick enough to be in the hospital, but they are at high risk. When neutralizing antibodies are infused in these settings they reduce hospitalizations by up to 70 percent.
Gillis: So, this is sort of a preventative measure against hospitalization, ventilators and all of these things we don’t want to happen.
Sabo: Right. The benefit for patients is to avoid hospitalization and it can also potentially reduce symptoms faster as well based on our clinical studies. But importantly–for healthcare systems–it helps to keep the hospitals less overwhelmed from the COVID-19 cases allowing them to focus on those cases that they do have that are severe. And it also allows them to focus on all of the other patients that don’t have COVID-19 and to not have to short-staff in those areas.
Gillis: You said people should speak to their doctor if this is something that would work for them.
Sabo: What I would encourage patients is to really remember three things. If you think you may have COVID-19, get tested as soon as possible. If you learn that you’re positive and symptomatic, immediately have a conversation with a healthcare professional particularly if you are high risk meaning that you’re overweight, over the age of fifty-five with co-morbidities or if you’re over the age of sixty-five. And then if you and your doctor think this may be a treatment that is appropriate for you, work together to get you scheduled to the nearest infusion center or a center that has neutralizing antibodies.
To find an infusion center near you, click here.
Indiana State Department of Health on Wednesday reported 36 more deaths, for a total of 9,713. A total of 631,331 Hoosiers have tested positive for COVID-19.
News 8’s medical reporter, Dr. Mary Elizabeth Gillis, D.Ed., is a classically trained medical physiologist and biobehavioral research scientist. She has been a health, medical and science reporter for over five years. Her work has been featured in national media outlets. You can follow her on Facebook @DrMaryGillis.