Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many of the 2.75 million courses of Paxlovid procured by the Government have reached their expiry date as of 26 October 2022.
Of the nirmatrelvir+ritonavir (Paxlovid) received, none has expired. Currently 1,095,954 courses held in central warehouses will expire within the next six months. The latest shelf-life approved by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) on 26 October 2022 is 24 months from initial manufacture. The Department is working with Pfizer to extend the use-by period of the unused stock received through batch-specific variation applications. This will align existing stock with the MHRA’s latest approved shelf-life, therefore it is anticipated none of the nirmatrelvir+ritonavir held will expire in the next six months. Any shelf-life extension is subject to the MHRA’s review and approval of the product’s continued safety and effectiveness.