Eli Lilly & Co has said that its experimental antibody reduced the need for hospitalisation and emergency room visits for patients with moderate Covid-19, according to an interim analysis of a mid-stage clinical trial, Reuters reported.

The study tested three different doses of LY-CoV555, a manufactured antibody designed to recognise and lock onto the novel coronavirus, preventing the infection from spreading.

Of the total 302 patients treated with three different doses of LY-CoV555, five of them, or 1.7 per cent, had to be admitted to a hospital or visit a hospital emergency room. That compares with a rate of 6pc, or 9 out of 150, for trial patients given a placebo, the company said.