The FDA no longer recommends these drugs. They do not work on the Omicron!

The US Food and Drug Administration has revoked authorizations for the use of monoclonal antibodies bamlanivimab and etesevimab (administered together) and casirivimab and imdevimab in the treatment of COVID-19.

FDA experts have determined that these drugs are very unlikely to be active against the Omicron variant. Meanwhile, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), this variant is currently responsible for over 99% of all SARS-CoV-2 infections in the US.

The decision to withdraw from the market will avoid unnecessary exposure of patients to the side effects of biological drugs while not benefiting from their use, informs the FDA.

The withdrawal of bamlanivimab, etesevimab, casirivimab and imdevimab from the market is not absolute, however. If there is a future wave of infections with a variant of the coronavirus that is susceptible to these antibodies, their use will again be allowed (nationwide or in certain regions).

At the same time, the FDA reminds that there are still other Omicron-effective therapies available that are approved for the treatment of patients with mild to moderate COVID-19 who are at high risk of progressing to severe disease, including hospitalization or death - including in ritonavir (registered in December last year, the first oral anticovid drug), sotrovimab, remdesivir or molnupiravir.

Source: FDA