Florida’s surgeon general wrote a letter Tuesday accusing the Biden administration of withholding COVID-19 treatments.
Dr. Joseph Ladapo wrote to Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra accusing the federal government of “actively preventing the effective distribution” of monoclonal antibody treatments. The Biden administration recently paused the distribution of two of the three available monoclonal antibody treatments due to evidence they may not be as effective against the Omicron variant.
Florida has been a leading distributor of monoclonal antibodies, which were one of the first effective therapeutics available to treat COVID-19 patients after infection. One antibody treatment, Sotrovimab, is still being distributed, as it’s shown to be effective against Omicron.
NEW: Florida Surgeon General says Biden Admin is “actively preventing” distribution of monoclonal antibodies by pausing shipments of Regeneron, in letter to HHS Sec.
Feds paused Regeneron bc it may not work against Omicron. FL says it can still be used in existing Delta cases. pic.twitter.com/9mmw5SsuZJ
— Jay O’Brien (@jayobtv) December 28, 2021
“The sudden suspension of multiple monoclonal antibody therapy treatments from distribution to Florida removes a health care provider’s ability to decide the best treatment options for their patients in this state,” Ladapo wrote in the letter first reported by CBS12’s Jay O’Brien. “This shortsightedness is especially evident given that the federal government effectively prohibited states from purchasing these monoclonal antibodies and serving their populations directly.” (RELATED: Omicron Can Be So Mild, Americans Are Struggling To Distinguish It From A Common Cold)
Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis previously butted heads with President Joe Biden when the administration cut the supply of monoclonal antibodies to southern states for “equity” reasons. The Biden team essentially accused Florida and some other states of hogging too many of the treatments that were needed elsewhere, despite the fact that those states were among the first to begin widespread use of the lifesaving treatments.