FDA poised to stop monoclonal antibody treatments that are ineffective against the Omicron COVID-19 variant
Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
- The FDA is set to stop monoclonal antibody treatments, according to multiple reports.
- The treatments are thought to be a ineffective remedy against the Omicron COVID-19 variant.
- Distribution of drugs made by pharmaceutical companies Eli Lilly and Regeneron will be paused.
The US Food and Drug Administration is set to stop monoclonal antibody treatments that are thought to be an ineffective remedy against the Omicron COVID-19 variant, according to multiple reports.
The treatments — made by pharmaceutical companies Eli Lilly and Regeneron — would be restricted, the Washington Post reported on Monday, citing anonymous Biden administration officials.
Once the move is announced by the FDA, the federal government would then pause distributing the treatments.
Bloomberg reported that the drugs made by the two companies haven't been proven to effectively treat patients infected with the new, highly transmissible Omicron variant.
Antibody treatments from GlaxoSmithKline and Vir Biotechnology, however, appear to be effective and will remain in use, the report said.
The FDA declined to comment on the matter.
According to the latest Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data, the US is averaging over 716,000 daily new COVID-19 cases over the last week — a figure slightly lower than the average of 800,000 new cases a day in mid-January.
The agency estimates that the highly transmissible Omicron variant is responsible for over 99% of all COVID-19 cases in the country, according to the latest figures from January 15.