,1,The U. S. Food and Drug Administration on Monday revoked its authorizations for two monoclonal antibody treatments made by Regeneron and Eli Lilly. In a news release, the FDA said the antibody treatments are "highly unlikely to be active against the omicron variant," which accounts for more than 99% of cases in the country, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates."These treatments are not authorized for use in any U. S. states, territories, and jurisdictions at this time," the FDA said. Some local actors publicly rebuked the decision:The Florida Department of Health said it received no advance notice that the treatments would be unauthorized, and that the FDA failed to provide clinical evidence needed to legally block access to treatments. The FDA said the drugs may be re-authorized if they prove effective against a new variant."In the future, if patients in certain geographic regions are likely to be infected or exposed to a variant that is susceptible to these treatments, then use of these treatments may be authorized in these regions," the FDA said. Other drugs, including Paxlovid, sotrovimab, Veklury (remdesivir), and molnupiravir, are still expected to work against omicron, according to the federal agency.►Less than two weeks before the opening of the Winter Olympics, a few dozen COVID-19 cases in Beijing have prompted authorities to test millions of people in the capital and extend that to anyone buying cold medicine.►A New York judge ruled Monday that the state's mask mandate can't be enforced, after it was reinstituted by Gov. Kathy Hochul over concerns about a winter surge of coronavirus cases. Keep refreshing this page for the latest news. Want more? Sign up for USA TODAY's free Coronavirus Watch newsletter to receive updates directly to your inbox and join our Facebook group. Patients with weakened immune systems — who are at high risk from COVID-19 — say pharmacies are turning them away when they seek additional vaccine doses recommended by federal health officials. Alyson Smith became eligible this month for a fourth vaccine dose because her medications leave her immunocompromised. Although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention encourages most adults to receive a total of three mRNA vaccines — two “primary” vaccinations and a booster — the agency now advises people with weak immune systems to receive three primary shots plus a booster, for a total of four doses. As Smith learned, many pharmacists are unaware that the CDC’s vaccine guidance has changed. Smith booked her vaccine appointment online. But when she showed up at a Chicago-area Walgreens for the appointment Jan. 19, an employee told her the pharmacy chain wasn’t administering fourth doses to anyone.“I don’t know any provider who wants to turn away a patient,” Rothholz said. “The CDC continues to make updates, and it’s becoming very difficult for providers at the grassroots level to keep up.
All data is taken from the source: http://usatoday.com
Article Link: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2022/01/25/covid-antibody-treatments-vaccines-mandates-cases-deaths/9206067002/
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