Monoclonal antibodies were 'doing nothing' against omicron: That's why FDA pulled its authorization.

The Food and Drug Administration pulled its authorization of two of the most used monoclonal antibodies to treat COVID-19 this week, leaving doctors with fewer options to help their patients avoid the hospital.

Why did the FDA shut them down?

Because the two, from drugmakers Regeneron and Eli Lilly, don't work against the omicron variant that now causes more than 99% of coronavirus infections in the United States.

"All the data show that these older antibodies are ineffective against omicron," said Dr. Daniel Kuritzkes, chief of the division of infectious diseases at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.

It was clear that for patients with omicron infections the monoclonals were "doing nothing," said Dr. Eric Topol, founder and director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute in La Jolla, California.

"There's overpowering data (that these) monoclonals are unable to bind to omicron," he said. 

So, now what? ​​​​