Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo sent a letter to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra saying the Biden administration is “actively preventing” the shipments on Regeneron’s monoclonal antibody treatments to states, including Florida.
“The federal government is actively preventing the effective distribution of monoclonal antibody treatments in the U.S.,” Ladapo said. “The sudden suspension of multiple monoclonal antibody therapy treatments from distribution to Florida removes a health care provider’s ability to decide the best treatment options for their patients in this state. This shortsightedness is especially evident given that the federal government effectively prohibited states from purchasing these monoclonal antibodies and serving their populations directly.”
The near-prohibition Ladapo referenced was the Biden administration’s previous announcement that the HSS would be taking over the national distribution of the treatments and that states would be receiving “equitable distribution” allotments back in September.
As a result, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) struck a deal directly with monoclonal manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline and bypassed the federal government. DeSantis blasted the Biden administration for its treatment reduction plan.
“We should be doing everything we can to get patients monoclonal antibody treatments, not cutting allocations of treatment like the Biden Administration has done,” said DeSantis. “Despite the cuts by the federal government, we want any Floridians that could benefit from this treatment to have access to it. Florida is going to leave no stone unturned when finding treatment for our state, and we are encouraged to have secured a shipment of monoclonal antibody treatments from GlaxoSmithKline.”
In Ladapo’s letter, he mentioned the recent controversy from the White House where Biden could be heard on video saying there is “no federal solution” to the COVID pandemic and strategies should be solved at the state level.
“President Biden recently stated that there is no federal solution to COVID-19, and solving this pandemic will happen at the state, Ladapo continued. “Therefore, as Surgeon General, I respectfully request that you allow states and healthcare practitioners to provide treatment options that best benefit the communities they know and serve.”
In a meeting with numerous governors on Monday, Biden reiterated to the governors that if they “need something, say something,” regarding COVID resources and treatments.
However, Biden and DeSantis have previously clashed after Biden said in August that governors who don’t do the “right thing” should “get out of the way.”
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Grant Holcomb is a reporter at The Florida Capital Star and The Star News Network. Follow Grant on Twitter and direct message tips.
Photo “Joe Biden” by The White House.
