US halts use of GSK/Vir monoclonal in 8 states as FDA says it can't defeat new Omicron subvariant
With the emergence of the new but not necessarily more dangerous Omicron subvariant BA.2, the FDA on Friday announced that GlaxoSmithKline and Vir’s blockbuster monoclonal antibody to treat Covid-19 will no longer be used in 8 states in the Northeast and two US territories.
New data included in the FDA’s health care provider fact sheet show how sotrovimab is unlikely to be effective against the BA.2 sub-variant, the agency said. And based on CDC data, the BA.2 sub-variant is estimated to account for more than 50% of cases across 8 states — Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Jersey, and New York — as well as Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
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