Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish guidance to Integrated Care Boards on the availability of antivirals for immunocompromised patients with a covid infection.

From 27 June, the pathway for COVID-19 treatments transitioned from the former national pandemic-specific arrangements to more routine local arrangements for assessment and treatment

This transition follows the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) guidance that was published 29 March 2023 and which recommended two treatments for non-hospitalised patients at highest risk, and one treatment for use in those hospitalised due to COVID-19. These are Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir plus ritonavir) from Pfizer, Xevudy (sotrovimab) from GlaxoSmithKline and RoActemra (tocilizumab) from Roche.

This guidance will ensure that everyone with COVID-19 at the highest risk of progressing to severe disease, will have access to clinically and cost-effective treatments, which will be routinely available to eligible patients on the National Health Service. The NHS is required to have medicines available within 90 days of a positive NICE appraisal. Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) have therefore had up to 90 days to make funding available for these treatments and to secure arrange local access through routine NHS pathways.

NHS England continues to meet with regional colleagues on a weekly basis to help them to facilitate the local transition and to understand if ICBs have any new or emerging issues requiring support.