UK expands access to second ‘cutting-edge’ antiviral Covid drug

Thousands more people in England will have access to an antiviral treatment for Covid, it has been announced.

The Government said Paxlovid will be added to the Panoramic national study for use for vulnerable people in England.

The Panoramic study is a UK-wide project sponsored by the University of Oxford which trials the use of approved antiviral treatments.

Volunteers can join the study if they are experiencing Covid symptoms, have tested positive, and are either over the age of 50 or are aged 18 and over and have a pre-existing health condition.

The drug was found to reduce hospitalisation or death by 88 per cent in clinical trials and will now form part of the UK’s “cutting-edge” treatment regime, Sajid Javid said.

The Health and Social Care Secretary added: “As we learn to live with Covid, the UK continues to lead the way in using cutting-edge treatments which have already saved the lives of many of the country’s most vulnerable patients.

“The addition of Paxlovid to the ground-breaking Panoramic study is an important milestone and will help us understand who benefits most from these treatments.

“If you’re aged 50 and over or have an underlying health condition and test positive for Covid, I urge you to participate in this study by signing up as soon as you can.”

The UK has secured 4.98 million - of which 2.75 million are Paxlovid - courses of antiviral drugs so far.

It is estimated that 17,500 patients will now be able to enrol on the treatment course, while 20,000 people have joined the study in order to generate data on Molnupiravir.

Chris Butler, from the University of Oxford and Clinical Trial Lead, said: “It is early on in the illness, when people are still being cared for in the community, that treatments for Covid could have their greatest benefit.

“The Panoramic trial is testing whether novel, promising antiviral treatments help people suffering from Covid in the community to recover faster and reduce the need for treatment in hospital.

“It is critically important that new treatments are tested on people and in the situation where they are intended to be used.

“Joining the Panoramic trial will help ensure people with Covid, and indeed the NHS, get the maximum benefit from these precious treatments.”