INTRODUCTION: Treatments for subjects with Covid-19 are required. One approach 
is neutralizing monoclonal antibodies. Bamlanivimab and etesevimab are 
monoclonal antibodies to SARS-CoV-2.
AREAS COVERED: This evaluation is of the phase 3 BLAZE-1 clinical trial, which 
was of bamlanivimab plus etesevimab in adult ambulatory participants with a risk 
factor for, and mild to moderate, Covid-19 illness. The primary outcome was 
Covid 19 related hospitalization of ≥ 24 hours or death from any cause by day 
29, and this occurred in 2.1% subjects in the bamlanivimab/etesevimab group, 
compared to 7.0% in the placebo group.
EXPERT OPINION: In the pandemic, the attempts by the FDA to shorten approval 
processes for medicines and by journals to make information available in a 
timely manner are admirable. However, these shortened processes made negotiating 
the details of BLAZE-1 and producing accurate and critical appraisals difficult. 
It seems to me that if there are any benefits of bamlanivimab alone in Covid-19, 
they are not clear-cut. Bamlanivimab has limited effects against the beta and 
gamma variants and is not effective against the delta variant. Thus, the 
benefits of bamlanivimab/etesevimab in the phase 3 of the BLAZE-1 may be solely 
due to etesevimab, and this needs to be tested.