Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said the FDA was blocking the use of “lifesaving” monoclonal antibody drugs “without a shred of clinical data.”
That wording obscures the full story: There were several scientific studies — including ones from the drugmakers themselves — that found that the drugs from Regeneron and Eli Lilly are ineffective against the omicron variant. Omicron accounts for over 99% of new cases, and this class of drugs only works when given soon after diagnosis. While these drugs helped earlier in the pandemic, they are no longer lifesaving.
The agency still allows four other drugs to be used against COVID-19, including another monoclonal antibody treatment called sotromivab, that do work against omicron.
We rated DeSantis’ statement Mostly False. Read the full fact-check here >>
