Pair of Covid-19 Drugs Performed Well in Studies, Makers Say

A pair of experimental Covid-19 treatments produced positive results in clinical trials, the companies developing the drugs said Monday.

Humanigen Inc. said hospitalized patients receiving its drug lenzilumab had a 54% greater likelihood of surviving without the need for mechanical ventilation with a breathing tube after one month than a comparison group that received placebos in a late-stage, or Phase 3, study.

Separately, a midstage study of healthier patients with mild to moderate symptoms showed encouraging results for a cocktail of monoclonal antibody drugs from Eli Lilly & Co. and partners Vir Biotechnology Inc. and GlaxoSmithKline PLC.

Humanigen, based in Burlingame, Calif., said it would use the data to seek the drug’s authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as soon as possible.

Its drug is intended to reduce inflammation experienced by some Covid-19 patients that is thought to occur as a result of an overactive immune response to the new coronavirus.