LONDON, April 20 (Reuters) - Britain is launching a search
for antivirals to treat COVID-19 with the aim of having at least
two effective at-home treatments by the end of the year, Prime
Minister Boris Johnson said on Tuesday.
Johnson has hailed the advent of COVID-19 vaccines and
regular testing as the keys to restoring normality by summer,
but his government is also supporting research into therapeutics
to help in the fight against the pandemic.
"Our new Antivirals Taskforce will seek to develop
innovative treatments you can take at home to stop COVID-19 in
its tracks," Johnson said.
"These could provide another vital defence against any
future increase in infections and save more lives."
The government hopes that new treatments could be taken at
home after a positive test or exposure to the coronavirus in
order to reduce transmission and speed up recovery, and they
would further bolster a range of therapeutics already available.
Research by British scientists has established that both
steroid dexamethasone and tocilizumab, an arthritis drug
developed by Roche, reduced the risk of death in
patients with severe COVID-19.
Patrick Vallance, the government's Chief Scientific Adviser,
said that antivirals in tablet form could help protect people
who could not have vaccines, and be a layer of defence in the
face of new coronavirus variants of concern.
(Reporting by Alistair Smout; editing by Costas Pitas)