TAMPA (WFLA) – In a letter sent Tuesday night, Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo is accusing the Biden Administration of “actively preventing the effective distribution of monoclonal antibody treatments in the U.S” by pausing shipments of COVID-19 antibody treatments manufactured by two major drug companies.
The letter, obtained by WFLA, was addressed to Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra, and accused the federal government of beginning “a dramatic reduction in the number of monoclonal antibodies to be allocated to the State of Florida.”
In September, the Biden Administration said it would cut shipments of the drugs to seven states, including Florida, because they were using 70% of the nation’s supply, leading to fears that Florida might run out of the drug treatments. Those fears never materialized.
Florida’s Surgeon General said the state still needs shipments of the other two treatments to be used against existing cases of the Delta Variant. Roughly 20% of the state’s cases are still Delta cases, according to the Florida Department of Health.
“Florida is a large, diverse state with one of the highest percentages of seniors in the U.S., and we must empower healthcare providers to make decisions that will save the lives of Americans everywhere without the dictates imposed by the federal government,” Ladapo wrote in the letter.
The letter goes on to reference comments made by President Biden on Monday, saying control of the pandemic should be handled at the state level. The President also vowed continued federal support.
“President Biden recently stated there is no federal solution to COVID-19, and solving this pandemic will happen at the state level. 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,” the letter continues.
WFLA has reached out to the Department of Health and Human Services for a response.
