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Gov. Ron DeSantis Speaks Regarding Monoclonal Antibody Treatments In Miami

MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- Governor Ron DeSantis spoke at Miami Dade College's North Campus on Wednesday and addressed the FDA's decision to revoke emergency use of certain monoclonal antibody treatments.

According to the FDA, data showed the treatments made by Eli Lilly and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals are "highly unlikely to be active against the omicron variant."

Both drugmakers agreed with the FDA's conclusion.

The decision meant the closure of all state-run monoclonal antibody sites.

"To leave people hanging the way they have is really problematic," said Gov. DeSantis.

"To then wake up to an email saying that these treatments are now prohibited, and tough luck go take an aspirin - that's fundamentally wrong," he continued.

Gov. Ron DeSantis on monoclonal treatment

 

The state's Deputy Secretary of Health was also part of the panel, along with South Florida Dr. Dwight Reynolds, an emergency medicine physician.

"I was very disheartened having to tell 18 patients that next day that were on the schedule, that we could not give them my typical medication, which is REGEN-COV or Lily," said Dr. Reynolds.

According to the CDC, 99% of cases in the United States are from Omicron currently. However, DeSantis argued people who travel to Florida from other countries could still bring over other variants.

"You don't know when someone comes in, necessarily, whether they have the Omicron infection or the Delta infection," he said. "And we know, definitively, this stuff is great against the Delta."

While the sites are no longer running, some emergency rooms, urgent cares, and hospitals still have a small supply of various monoclonal antibody treatments.

Jackson Health System told CBS 4 they have a limited supply of the Sotrovimab monoclonal antibody treatment for COVID-19, which is reserved for their most immunocompromised patients.

Meanwhile, Wednesday the Senate Health and Policy Committee signed off on the confirmation of state Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo.

That was after Democrats walked out, saying their questions weren't being answered.

"Do the vaccines work against COVID-19: yes or no?" asked State Senator Lauren Book.

"You know," responded Ladapo, "Yes or no questions are not easy to find in science."

Ladapo, at first. did not give a straight answer regarding the effectiveness of vaccines against COVID, being asked the question three times. But did eventually respond:

"The Pfizer product and the product developed by Moderna, have been shown to have relatively high effectiveness for the prevention of hospitalization and death, and, over time, relatively low protection for infection."

Ladapo still needs a full Senate vote. He has an interview with another committee first.

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