On Thursday, public health officials asked healthcare practitioners across the country to take advantage of the plentiful supply of these monoclonal antibodies that are currently the only approved treatment that could keep Americans out of hospitals and slash.
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With two highly effective coronavirus vaccines now being distributed across the country, the U.S. government’s announcement Thursday to set aside $2.6 billion for purchasing an antibody drug for COVID-19 may have raised a few eyebrows.
After all, the two currently authorized antibody drugs, from Regeneron and Eli Lilly, have not been widely used since the Food and Drug Administration cleared both in November. And the logistical issues that have hindered their launch haven’t been solved, either.
But Operation Warp Speed officials, including top FDA drug evaluator Janet Woodcock, are campaigning hard to change that, arguing the drugs are being “underutilized” in the COVID-19 response. Study results have shown the treatments can keep some sick patients from needing hospital care, which could be a huge benefit for healthcare systems under greater and greater strain.