Florida surgeon general says Biden admin 'actively preventing' monoclonal antibody treatments
The Biden administration recently paused shipments of two COVID-19 antibody treatments
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo accused the Biden administration of "actively preventing the effective distribution of monoclonal antibody treatments" in the United States, according to a Tuesday letter addressed to Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra.
The Biden administration recently paused shipments of COVID-19 antibody treatments manufactured by major drug companies Regeneron and Eli Lilly amid claims that such treatments are not effective against the omicron variant of the coronavirus.
The federal government continues to supply Sotrovimab, a monoclonal antibody from the company Glaxosmithkline, which reportedly does work against omicron.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Ladapo concluded his letter by referencing comments Biden made Monday that there wasn’t a solution by the federal government to end the nearly two-year-old pandemic.
"There is no federal solution. This gets solved at the state level," Biden said at the time in response to Arkansas Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson warning the president against letting "federal solutions stand in the way of state solutions."
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during a press conference before newly appointed state Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo at Neo City Academy in Kissimmee, Florida, on Sept. 22, 2021. (Photo by Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) pushed back against Ladapo's assertion, telling Fox News Digital in a statement: "The federal government has and will continue to supply Florida with treatments that can help improve patient outcomes, reduce stress on healthcare facilities, and save lives. We have never stopped allocating or shipping COVID-19 therapeutics to Florida.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"With regard to monoclonal antibody treatments, the federal government has allocated about 22,000 doses in just the past two weeks (11,050 doses last week and 10,576 doses this week). That’s in addition to the approximately 28,000 doses of product that they have on hand from their previous orders," the statement continued.
"In other words, Florida should have strong supply of product on hand – and more than most other states."
FLORDIA'S NEW SURGEON GENERAL: DATA DOES NOT SUPPORT MASK MANDATES IN SCHOOL
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Newly appointed state Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo speaks during a press conference at Neo City Academy in Kissimmee, Florida. (Photo by Paul Hennessy / SOPA Images/Sipa USA)(Sipa via AP Images)
Ladapo, whom DeSantis appointed in September after the former surgeon general resigned, has also made headlines for opposing measures such as school mask mandates.
In September, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis hammered the Biden administration for overhauling the distribution of monoclonal antibodies in a way that will severely hamper the treatment's availability in several Republican-controlled states.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Department of Health and Human Services alarmed authorities in several southern, red states — where the antibodies are widely used — after announcing that the agency would be changing how the COVID-19 treatment is distributed.
Fox News' Tyler O'Neil and Houston Keene contributed to this report.