Monoclonal Antibody Remains Free for Qualifying Uninsured or Underinsured COVID-19 Patient

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently announced a new effort to assist uninsured and underinsured Americans with access to the COVID-19 monoclonal antibody (mAbs) treatment Bebtelovimab.

HHS is making 60,000 doses of the product available to support the Bebtelovimab mAbs replacement initiative, even after the product became available on the commercial market in August 2022.

At the current use rate, HHS says the additional doses are expected to be available through September 2023.

The U.S. federal procurement and distribution of Indiana-based Eli Lilly's bebtelovimab began to phase out, and the product became available on the commercial market on August 17, 2022.

Since February 2022, the U.S. government has purchased more than 750,000 doses of Bebtelovimab.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, bebtelovimab and other COVID-19 therapeutics have been provided to states and territories for free.

Through this new initiative confirmed on September 23, 2022, health care providers who use a commercially procured dose of bebtelovimab to treat an uninsured or underinsured patient may be eligible to have the dose replaced for free by HHS.

Health care providers can use their own established methods for determining uninsured or underinsured status, such as eligibility criteria for existing programs for which a patient may already be eligible.

Approximately 8% of Americans are not covered by a government insurance program such as Medicare, Medicaid, or private insurance.

The Medicare and Medicaid programs fully cover all costs for bebtelovimab treatment, and the therapeutic is likely to be covered under most private health insurance plans.

Bebtelovimab is available under emergency use authorization from the U.S. FDA as a treatment product to reduce hospitalization and death among patients who have a positive COVID-19 test and are at high risk for progression to severe COVID-19, and for whom alternative COVID-19 treatment options approved or authorized by the FDA are not accessible or clinically appropriate.

Additional COVID-19 mAbs news is posted at PrecisionVaccinations.com/Antibody.