Without a shred of clinical data to support its decision, the Biden Administration has revoked the emergency use authorization for lifesaving monoclonal antibody treatments.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, along with other Republicans, objected when the FDA announced it was no longer authorizing two COVID-19 monoclonal antibody drugs in the U.S., claiming the decision was made without supporting data. However, recent lab studies strongly suggest the treatments will not help omicron-infected people, as this correspondence in the New England Journal of Medicine explains.

The two drugs, made by Regeneron and by Eli Lilly, were known to be effective at treating the original strain of the coronavirus, as well as the Delta variant. However, studies in labs have shown they do not work against omicron. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 99 percent of infections nationwide are now from omicron. The FDA's decision was also supported by both manufacturers, which said they are working on new treatments that work against all known variants. According to the Food and Drug Administration, the two monoclonal antibody treatments – bamlanivimab and etesevimab (administered together) and REGEN-COV (casirivimab and imdevimab) are now limited to only patients that have "likely been infected with or exposed to a variant that is susceptible to these treatments."

Regeneron’s monoclonal antibody treatment, REGEN-COV (casirivimab and imdevimab), and Eli...

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