The Drug Trump Received... FDA Withdraws Two Antibody Treatments

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued guidance to stop using Regeneron and Eli Lilly's antibody treatments, which have been found to be significantly less effective against the COVID-19 Omicron variant.

According to the Associated Press on the 24th (local time), the FDA announced that it would revoke the Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) previously granted for these two antibody treatments.

This move was anticipated as the Omicron variant became the dominant strain in the United States. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that over 99% of current COVID-19 cases in the U.S. are infections with the Omicron variant.

The FDA explained, "If these treatments are proven effective against future variants, reauthorization may be possible."

Earlier, U.S. biotech companies Regeneron and Eli Lilly had released their own research results showing that the efficacy of their antibody treatments against the Omicron variant is lower than against previous variants.

Antibody treatments, which work by injecting artificially created antibody proteins into the body, were considered a means to reduce the burden on the healthcare system by being administered intensively in the early stages of infection to lower the risk of severe illness and death. Former President Donald Trump was also prescribed Regeneron when he was hospitalized with COVID-19 in October 2020.

However, the Omicron variant has dozens of mutations in the spike protein, making it difficult for these antibody treatments to exert their full effect.

When it became clear that the two treatments were less effective against Omicron, the U.S. government temporarily halted the supply of these treatments to frontline hospitals in December last year but resumed supply following opposition from Republican governors.

Republican governors opposing the federal government's vaccine mandates and quarantine measures have actively encouraged the use of antibody treatments, highlighting them as alternatives to vaccines.