The UK government has announced deals to purchase two investigational Covid-19 antiviral drugs as coronavirus cases rise and the country approaches an uncertain winter.
The UK has secured 480,000 courses of Merck鈥檚 molnupiravir and 250,000 courses of Pfizer鈥檚 PF-07321332/ritonavir. The oral antivirals are yet to be approved by the country鈥檚 medicines regulator; Pfizer鈥檚 candidate is in late-stage clinical trials, while Merck is seeking emergency use authorisation for molnupiravir in the US.
The government the pills are expected to be given to those most at risk from Covid-19 to help 鈥渞educe the severity of symptoms and ease pressure on the NHS over winter鈥�. Pending regulatory approval, Merck鈥檚 antiviral could be available to patients before the end of the year.
Health experts have called for the return of some Covid-19 restrictions amid concerns that hospitals could once again be overwhelmed by hospitalisations this winter. The UK is currently seeing between 40,000 and 50,000 new Covid-19 cases a day, with the number of hospitalisations rising slowly but steadily.
Deputy chief medical officer Professor Jonathan Van-Tam commented: 鈥淭he Covid-19 vaccines and therapeutics that have been rolled out to tens of millions of UK patients have had a critical impact on this pandemic, and antivirals bring another key intervention to the table.
鈥淭hey will be particularly vital in protecting those who may not get the same antibody response to the vaccines as the majority of the population.鈥�
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By GlobalDataThe government is now working with the NHS to conduct a national study of the antiviral pills, which it says will 鈥渁llow medical experts to gather further data on the potential benefits these treatments bring to vaccinated patients鈥�. Further details on the study are to be announced in due course.
Merck鈥檚 molnupiravir, developed in collaboration with Ridgeback Biotherapeutics, has been touted as a potential game-changer when it comes to tackling the pandemic. Trial data on molunpiravir is promising; the drug reduced the risk of Covid-related hospitalisation or death by almost 50% in a Phase III study.
Pfizer鈥檚 Covid-19 pill is a combination of the company鈥檚 investigational antiviral PF-07321332 and a lower dose of ritonavir, an antiretroviral commonly used to treat HIV and AIDS. The drug 鈥� which is designed to be prescribed at the first sign of infection or knowledge of exposure, without requiring patients to be hospitalised 鈥� is currently in Phase II/III trials.
