‘This is wrong’; DeSantis blasts FDA decision to revoke monoclonal emergency use

CRAWFORDVILLE, Fla. — Gov. Ron DeSantis vowed to fight back against the Food and Drug Administration’s decision to revoke emergency use authorization for two monoclonal antibody treatments.

On Monday the FDA removed its emergency use authorization for two monoclonal antibody treatments.

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READ: Stealth omicron: New COVID-19 sub-variant seen in 40 countries

The FDA said the two COVID-19 antibody drugs from Regeneron and Eli Lilly should no longer be used because they are unlikely to work against the omicron variant.

In a news release the Florida Department of Health said the decision was made without any evidence to support the revocation.

“Florida disagrees with the decision that blocks access to any available treatments in the absence of clinical evidence,” the Florida Department of Health said in a news release. “To date, such clinical evidence has not been provided by the FDA.”

Speaking at an event in Crawfordville, Fla., Tuesday morning, Gov. DeSantis said the decision was not based on facts, echoing the FDOH statements.

Read: ‘Reckless’: Monoclonal antibody treatment sites close following FDA decision to remove emergency use

“This is not based on a clinical trail this is not even peer reviewed,” DeSantis said.

The governor went on to say his administration would fight back on the decision.

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‘This is not the way you help people. In our view people have a right to access these treatments and to revoke it on this basis is just fundamentally wrong and we’re going to fight back,” he said.

Ian Sams, with the federal Health and Human Services, said on Tuesday that there are still treatments available.

“We do have treatments that do work against Omicron available, it’s just these two specific brands unfortunately the data shows that they don’t work,” Sams said.

As for the data, federal authorities point to studies by Eli Lilly and Regeneron showing their antibody treatments are ineffective against the omicron variant.

“These treatments don’t work against it, and we want to make sure that people are getting the treatments that do,” Sams said.

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