Lenzilumab, a novel anti-human granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor monoclonal antibody, significantly improved survival without the need for invasive mechanical ventilation among patients hospitalized with COVID-19 pneumonia, according to results of the LIVE-AIR trial published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine. The biological drug that directly binds granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor, with high specificity and affinity, and a slow off-rate to prevent signaling through its receptor, helped achieve survival for 84 percent of patients without invasive mechanical ventilation. According to the study by a team of researchers in the Department of infectious diseases at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, the drug has shown efficacy in clinical studies of various disease settings with no serious adverse events attributed to its administration. The safety profile of lenzilumab was similar to that of placebo, the researchers said.