The Federal Drug Administration has removed its authorization of monoclonal antibody treatments for COVID-19, effectively forcing the state’s treatment sites to shut down.
On Monday, the Florida Department of Health announced that it disagreed with the FDA’s “abrupt decision to remove emergency use authorization for two monoclonal antibodies” as the federal agency provided no evidence to support the move, The Daily Wire reported.
“Florida disagrees with the decision that blocks access to any available treatments in the absence of clinical evidence,” the state’s health department said in a statement. “To date, such evidence has not been provided by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA).”
As a result of the @US_FDA's abrupt decision to remove the EUAs for two monoclonal antibodies, monoclonal antibody treatment sites will be closed until further notice. Full press release is below. pic.twitter.com/RGeWTPwxCs
— Florida Dept. of Health (@HealthyFla) January 25, 2022
In a statement, the FDA said it was removing emergency use authorization for monoclonal treatments as they “are highly unlikely to be active against the omicron variant.”
“In the future, if patients in certain geographic regions are likely to be infected or exposed to a variant that is susceptible to these treatments, then use of these treatments may be authorized in these regions,” the agency said.
The FDA’s sudden decision was slammed by Florida lawmakers as political posturing.
“Antibody treatments aren’t a substitute for vaccines. But they have prevented thousands of hospitalizations including in breakthrough cases,” U.S. Senator for Florida, Marco Rubio wrote on Twitter. “Now in a move that reeks of partisan payback against states like Florida, the Biden administration is rationing these treatments.”
The Daily Wire notes that the Biden administration was previously criticized for underutilizing the treatment just weeks before taking control of the nation’s supplies.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who spearheaded the effort to establish treatment facilities in the Sunshine State, has become postured as the Republican antithesis to the Biden administration and has fiercely rebuked its COVID-19 policies and mandates.
DeSantis has worked to ban mask and vaccine mandates in his state and, last year, told President Joe Biden outright in public comments that he planned to stand between the administration and the American people when it comes to such far-reaching federal policies.
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