BLOOMSBURG, Pa. — The FDA decided this week to halt the use of a COVID-19 treatment, saying it doesn't work against the new variant. Newswatch's Elizabeth Worthington reports the announcement came as a disappointment to some pharmacists and patients.
John and Jamie Plotts of Bloomsburg figured it was worth a shot. After getting sick from COVID-19, their doctor recommended trying monoclonal antibody treatment.
John said, "We didn't see any reason not to."
"And we know other people that have done it and had had nothing but positive things to say. So, 'duh, we're going to try it,'" added Jamie.
They were treated at The Medicine Shoppe in Bloomsburg, and they got better.
Pharmacist Jennifer Seltzer says ever since she started offering the treatments here in October, she and her staff have been working around the clock.
"We had patients who were just in tears with appreciation, and they could not thank us enough for what we were willing to do to provide these things, even on our days off or after hours," said Seltzer.
But this week, the treatments were grounded to a halt.
The FDA pulled its authorization for the most common COVID antibody treatments saying they're not effective enough against the omicron variant.
"That is definitely a concern, you know, for us as a health care provider, that now our pool of options has become even smaller," added Seltzer.
At The Medicine Shoppe in Bloomsburg, pharmacists have treated more than 700 patients with the monoclonal antibodies, and they've seen the opposite of what the FDA is reporting now.
"I really don't know why they did it. I'm sure there is a reason, and I do think that there is a potential that it goes beyond the fact that they're saying it's not effective against omicron," said Seltzer.
The supply of antibody treatments at The Medicine Shoppe will remain in the fridge, and people like John and Jamie Plotts will be happy they got to it when they did.
See more coronavirus-related stories on WNEP's Youtube page.