On Oct. 8, 2020, Eli Lilly and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, as part of the COVID-19 Therapeutics Accelerator, entered into an agreement to facilitate access to future Lilly therapeutic antibodies under development for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 to low- and middle-income countries. Therapeutic antibodies have the potential to prevent and treat COVID-19, reducing the burden on healthcare systems worldwide.

This effort to bring equitable access to novel treatments is part of the COVID-19 Therapeutics Accelerator, an initiative launched by the Gates Foundation, Wellcome, and Mastercard to speed the development of and access to therapies for COVID-19.