Omicron vs. treatments: What we know about how monoclonal antibodies work against new variant

With omicron's explosive spread threatening to outpace current COVID-19 treatments, the race is on to find new ones that will stand up to the new variant.

With omicron's explosive spread threatening to outpace current COVID-19 treatments, the race is on to find new options that will stand up to the variant.

The first oral antiviral treatment for the virus was authorized by the Food and Drug Administration Wednesday. Pfizer's Paxlovid has proved effective against severe illness and death from COVID, and is expected to hold up against omicron. The news lent a glimmer of hope amid the latest surge, but supply is expected to remain limited for months as production ramps up.

Meanwhile, omicron's high transmission rate is squeezing what was already a finite arsenal of COVID treatments. Of the currently authorized monoclonal antibody therapies -- which have become a primary treatment for COVID to help keep patients out of the hospital -- two of the main ones bought in bulk by the U.S. government have not been successful against the omicron variant.

The third option, one so far expected to remain effective against omicron, is in scant supply with federal health officials moving quickly to stockpile the drug, called sotrovimab, from Vir Biotechnology and GlaxoSmithKline.