MS is using the most COVID antibody treatments in US as feds limit states’ supplies
Mississippi leads the nation in the use of monoclonal antibody infusions per capita, according to State Medical Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs, and hasn’t been impacted yet by the federal government’s recent cap on access to the treatment.
The lifesaving COVID treatment has been widely pushed across Mississippi amid recent weeks of a delta variant surge and vaccinated and unvaccinated Coastal residents have been using the drug in droves.
Last Monday, the Biden administration moved a policy change which now allocates monoclonal antibody supply based on a formula reflective of a states’ case numbers and hospitalizations, said Dobbs, because of limited resources. Until this week, states were able to request unlimited amounts.
“When we’ve been on our federal calls and look at the per capita utilization for the southeast, Mississippi is using on a per capita basis higher than any of our surrounding states, and we know that most of it’s been used in the southeast in recent weeks,” said Dobbs at a Thursday press conference.
“There will be an upper limit on the number of doses that we can draw down every week… Fortunately, this week our allocation was sufficient for demand.”
Dobbs said this week Mississippi has had over 6,000 orders for monoclonal product from provider partners, along with 8,550 doses of the REGEN-COV and 1,000 doses of Bamlanivimab antibody treatments available to order, which is sufficient for the state.
The policy change will also make the process of ordering monoclonals different for health care providers. Now, instead of clinics or hospitals ordering product directly from a wholesaler, they will go through the state department of health.
Dobbs said health care providers should continue ordering the supplies they need, however.
“But right now I want to encourage docs and clinicians to go ahead and get it. We do have a little bit on the shelves in different locations and if we have to move it from north MS to the Coast to make sure you have access to it, this is a priority. We want to make sure you have optimal success in health and survival if you get COVID,” said Dobbs.
Other Southeastern states report shortages
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear announced Tuesday that the Biden administration cites a national shortage of the drug which has led to the change in procedure.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services told Forbes last week that seven states along the Gulf Coast —which have been experiencing the country’s most severe COVID-19 outbreaks — have been using about 70% of the nation’s distribution of monoclonal antibodies.
Neighboring states like Alabama and Florida have reported negative impacts across their fellow overburdened health systems due to the treatment allocation changes.
“As a result of this temporary allocation, Alabama will receive less than the amounts previously ordered,” the Alabama Department of Public Health said in a message to health care providers, according to Newsweek. “To hopefully assure that monoclonal antibodies are available now and in the future for those patients most at risk, providers are reminded that not everyone qualifies for non-hospitalized patient treatment with monoclonal antibodies.”
Florida officials said the state could see a reduction in about half of its supply.
This article and live event is supported by the Journalism and Public Information Fund, a fund of the Gulf Coast Community Foundation.
This story was originally published September 20, 2021 at 5:50 AM.
