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Government Control Led to Lack of Monoclonal Antibodies, Says Medical Supplies CEO
[THEEPOCHTIMES] The head of a medical supplies company involved in the distribution and supply of monoclonal antibodies across southeastern and northeastern regions of the nation, told NTD in a Jan. 12 interview that government takeover of the monoclonal antibody supply chain has exacerbated backlogs and shortages."The way the products are being distributed right now, relying on the government to determine who gets what, that process can be very lengthy in terms of time," Dealmed CEO Michael Einhorn said.As a result, physicians are reporting "surpluses in certain areas, not enough in other areas" which has fueled frustrations when critical patients are not receiving antibodies for COVID-19 infections. While it’s unclear how the monoclonal antibodies are being rationed among states, Einhorn said that "commercialization" of these products should be allowed, so that infusion centers that need them can order in products based on "patient volume." "If they have oversupply they wouldn’t order more," Einhorn said, whereas when remedies are supplied by the state, "nobody’s going to say no the government" as the products are "free practically," leading to mismatches in supply and demand. "I find it very difficult to believe that, in a mere year, a governmental agency in a different state can figure out the dynamics of a local regional health care system," he added. One particular monoclonal antibody, sotrovimab made by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and Vir Biotechnology, is in high demand as emerging reports suggest it is more effective than other products against Omicron. Dr. Marc Siegel, a practicing internist and a professor of medicine at NYU’s Langone Medical Center, wrote in an op-ed in USA Today that "Omicron is most susceptible to sotrovimab, made by GlaxoSmithKline, but in most states, it is almost impossible to find." Monoclonal antibody therapies have been shown to be effective in preventing severe disease or hospitalization in high-risk patients with mild to moderate COVID-19. Posted by: Fred 2022-01-15 |
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