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INDIANAPOLIS–The U.S. government is buying a minimum of 100,000 doses of Eli Lilly and Company’s combination therapy to treat COVID-19.

That therapy is a combination of bamlanivimab and etesevimab, which is administered to COVID-19 patients with a mild to moderate case of the virus who are at higher risk to develop a more severe form of it.

The combination therapy of bamlanivimab and etesevimab received an emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration on Feb. 9. The National Institutes of Health also recommended the use of the combination therapy earlier this week.

“In our clinical trials, Lilly’s neutralizing antibody therapies significantly reduced the risk of hospitalizations and death,” said David A. Ricks, Lilly’s chairman and CEO in a press release. “The NIH recommendation provides additional guidance to clinicians treating high-risk patients with COVID-19, who now have another treatment option that could keep more people out of the hospital and save lives.”

The purchase agreement was for $210 million. Lilly said it will begin shipping the doses immediately. They will be delivered through March 31.

The U.S. government will have the option to purchase up to an additional 1,100,000 doses through November 25, 2021, under the same terms as the base agreement and subject to agreement from Lilly, product availability, and the medical need in the U.S.

The government already committed to purchasing a total of 1.45 million doses of bamlanivimab alone.