Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions her Department has had with NHS England on the distribution of Paxlovid for the treatment of covid-19.

The Department procured stock of Paxlovid during the pandemic and has set up a distribution network to both primary and secondary care in England so that all eligible patients can access the treatment in line with recommendations from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). The Department is in regular contact with NHS England about demand for and distribution of the centrally procured stocks, including for the potential expanded use of Paxlovid following the publication of NICE’s final draft guidance on Paxlovid published in August 2023.