Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus（MERS-CoV）is a novel coronavirus, which can cause severe acute respiratory disease with a high mortality rate. Currently, MERS-CoV has spread from the main epidemic area, the Middle East area, to many other countries including United States of America, South Korea and China. MERS-CoV has raised global public health concerns regarding the current situation and future evolution. This review will mainly summarize the recent progress on developing human neutralizing monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against MERS-CoV, describe the action mechanisms, and discuss their potential for prophylaxis and treatment of MERS. The future strategies for the rapid development of antibody-based antivirals to combat emerging viruses and diseases in an outbreak setting are also discussed.