Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to invest in alternative covid-19 treatments for immunocompromised people.

Immunocompromised individuals are a priority cohort for research into therapeutic and prophylaxis treatments such as monoclonal antibody therapies, novel antivirals, and repurposed compounds. In August, Ronapreve, a novel monoclonal antibody, was approved by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). Ronapreve is being administered through the National Health Service to treat the most vulnerable, including immunocompromised patients.

The Antivirals Taskforce has secured two antiviral treatments. Molnupiravir has already received approval by the MHRA and will be deployed this winter to protect those at high-risk from COVID-19. The second antiviral will be deployed should it receive approval. The Taskforce is working with partners across the United Kingdom to ensure antivirals are deployed to protect the clinically vulnerable. The Therapeutics Taskforce and Antivirals Taskforce continue to monitor treatments of interest to identify any further promising compounds and ensure that UK patients can access them if they are safe and effective against COVID-19.