Wednesday, January 26, 2022

Hundreds of Covid patients left in the lurch

Kaylee McGhee White writes,
The Food and Drug Administration suddenly decided to withdraw its emergency use authorization of two COVID-19 antibody treatments this week, leaving hundreds of patients who depend on them in the lurch. The monoclonal antibody treatments made by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals and Eli Lilly have proven invaluable in fighting off hospitalization and death from the virus, especially against the delta variant. I would know: My grandmother was one of the patients in Florida who benefited from this treatment. Fully vaccinated and boosted, she tested positive for COVID-19 last month and was able to receive an antibody infusion within a few days. It improved her condition dramatically, and she has since recovered. But she might not have if she did not have access to this treatment.
At the very least, the FDA should have kept its emergency use authorization in place and left the decision to doctors and their patients. Not everyone will need an antibody transfusion, but individual practitioners familiar with their patients’ particular needs are much better equipped to make that call than the federal bureaucracy.
Read more here: https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/the-fda-is-wrong-to-pull-life-saving-covid-19-antibody-treatments Hat tip Glenn Reynolds

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