Monoclonal antibodies have emerged as a powerful tool for reducing hospitalization and death from COVID-19, but recently published studies suggests that the lab-created proteins are going to those who need them less — patients with the fewest chronic conditions — while usage in hospital outpatient clinics has followed a persistent pattern of racial and ethnic disparities.
Researchers analyzing more than 2 million Medicare claims for monoclonal antibodies found that individuals with no chronic illness were five times more likely to receive monoclonal antibody treatment than those with six or more chronic conditions, who represent more than 1 in 3 Medicare enrollees.
“By far, the largest disparity was that the healthiest people got monoclonal antibodies,” said Michael Barnett, a physician and health policy professor with Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston. “Basically, those that most need it were actually the least likely to get it. It’s not surprising that this played across racial lines as well.”
