(Yicai Global) Oct. 14 -- The US has halted Eli Lilly and Company’s Covid-19 antibody trials over potential safety concerns. The JS016 antibody upon which Eli Lilly and Shanghai Junshi Biosciences are jointly conducting clinical development is not involved in the matter, however, Junshi told Yicai Global today.

US health regulators put Eli Lilly's late-stage trial of the ACTIV-3 monoclonal antibody treatment for the coronavirus on hold because of unspecified safety concerns, the company announced yesterday. ACTIV-3 is in a phase III clinical trial to evaluate its treatment effects in Covid-19 patients and JS016 is not part of the study, Junshi said.

The company’s shares [SHA:688180] closed 1.38 percent down today at CNY92.70 (USD13.79).

JS016 is a fully human anti-SARS-CoV-2 monoclonal antibody Junshi and the Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences jointly developed. It has successfully concluded two phase I studies among healthy subjects in China and the US, with neither test recording any dose-limiting event -- side effects serious enough to stop an increase in dose -- serious adverse event, or any other adverse events of special note. JS016 is generally well tolerated and safe, Junshi added.

The Shanghai-based pharma firm formed in 2012. It clinically researches and develops innovative drugs and commercializes them globally.

Editor: Ben Armour