How the Decisions to Nix Certain Monoclonal Antibodies Were Made

How the Decisions to Nix Certain Monoclonal Antibodies Were Made
A Regeneron monoclonal antibody infusion bag is seen during a news conference in Fort Lauderdale, Fla, on Aug. 19, 2021. Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP
Beth Giuffre
Updated:

Monoclonal antibodies have had their share of ups and downs in the timeline of COVID-19 treatments—but according to news headlines spanning the past two years—not nearly as much as some of the other off-label drugs like ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine. Most of the controversy, if any at all, began at the end of last year, when a handful of preprints written by quite a few scientists said certain brands of monoclonal antibodies would not work for the Omicron variant.

The State of Florida was using sotrovimab—one of the drugs that lost its Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) in January. Meanwhile companies like Eli Lilly (partnered with AbCellera and AstraZeneca) were poised to benefit with exclusive authorizations. The losers for the U.S. monoclonal markets became Regeneron, who makes REGEN-COV, and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) partnered with Vir Biotechnology—the maker of sotrovimab.

Beth Giuffre
Beth Giuffre
Author
Beth Giuffre is a mosaic artist and frequent contributor to the Epoch Times. When the youngest of her three sons began having seizures, she began researching the root cause of intractable epilepsy, and discovered endless approaches to healing for those who are willing and open to alternatives.
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