Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support her Department is providing to immunosuppressed people to help prevent the spread of covid-19; what progress the government has made on approving Evusheld for use by those people; and if she will make a statement.

Those at higher risk from COVID-19 due to their immune system continue to be supported by a number of interventions. Interventions for this group include:

· Prioritisation for vaccinations and boosters

· Priority access to Covid-19 therapeutic and antiviral treatments

· Advice on protective behaviours

· Guidance for this cohort can be found on gov.uk (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-guidance-for-people-whose-immune-system-means-they-are-at-higher-risk/covid-19-guidance-for-people-whose-immune-system-means-they-are-at-higher-risk)

Although Evusheld was granted conditional marketing approval from the MHRA in March 2022, the decision not to procure Evusheld at this present time is based on independent clinical advice by the multi-agency initiative RAPID C-19 and a national expert policy working group, following a review of a range of evidence including clinical trial data. Their conclusion is that there is insufficient evidence of benefit to recommend deployment at this time. The Chief Medical Office for England is content that the correct process for providing clinical advice has been followed and it has now been referred to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence for further evaluation.