Covid antiviral drugs - Deals20 Oct 2021 18:55
From BBC
The UK government has announced deals for Covid-19 antivirals which it says could be groundbreaking this winter.
Antivirals are treatments used to either treat those who are infected with a virus or protect high-risk people who may have been exposed to the virus.
The two new treatments are molnupiravir from Merck (MSD) and ritonavir from Pfizer.
The two new antivirals are expected to be given to those most at risk from the virus, helping reduce the severity of symptoms and ease pressure on the NHS over winter, the government says.
Both first need to be evaluated by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).
A recent interim clinical trial results suggested that molnupiravir cuts the risk of hospitalisation or death by about half.
Chair of the Antivirals Taskforce Eddie Gray said: "This is a very important development in our mission to find antivirals for those exposed to Covid-19, supporting the renowned vaccination programme and the NHS over the coming months."