DeSantis Secures More Monoclonal Antibody [mAbs] Treatments After Biden Cut Supply

Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis independently obtained more doses of monoclonal antibody treatment (mAbs) after President Joe Biden cut the federal supply to southern states, DeSantis announced Thursday.

The Biden administration announced earlier this week it would be restructuring how it distributes mAbs to states, a move that resulted in a reduced supply to states like Florida, Texas, Georgia and Mississippi. Florida has been the country’s leading user of mAbs to treat COVID-19, according to data from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Watch Now: Governor DeSantis announces acquisition of additional doses of monoclonal antibody treatments to counteract the federal government reducing Florida’s supply of the Regeneron monoclonal treatments. https://t.co/uNwlFXc3OT

— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) September 23, 2021

“At the same time, you can’t just sit on the sidelines and carp about it, you gotta do something about it,” DeSantis said at a press conference Thursday. “And so our announcement today, that we have secured a shipment of sotrovimab, the newest monoclonal antibody from GlaxoSmithKline, that’s showing that we’re gonna leave no stone unturned.”

“If there’s somebody that needs a monoclonal antibody treatment, we’re gonna work hard to get it to them.”

When asked by the Daily Caller if there is a shortage of mAbs doses necessitating the cutback to southern states, an HHS spokesperson would not provide a direct answer. “Just seven states accounted for about 70 percent of our monoclonal antibody ordering under the direct ordering process. Given this reality, we must work to ensure the federally purchased supply of these life-saving therapies remains available for all states and territories, not just some,” the spokesperson said.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki echoed that rationale when asked about the cutbacks earlier this week. “Our supply is not unlimited, and we believe it should be equitable across states across the country,” she said.

Psaki also said that states with “lower” vaccination rates like Texas and Florida were hogging the treatments, despite the fact that Florida’s vaccination rate is above the national average.

Biden and DeSantis have clashed over multiple COVID-19-related issues, including mask and vaccine mandates. Biden recently blasted GOP governors for being “cavalier” with their constituents’ lives for not supporting his pandemic policies.

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