Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when his Department plans to approve Evusheld on the NHS to help prevent covid-19 infections in immunocompromised people who cannot be vaccinated.

Evusheld was granted a conditional marketing authorisation by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) on 17 March 2022. However, the initial positive trial data on Evusheld was published prior to the emergence of the Omicron variant. Following its approval, the MHRA had indicated uncertainty on the appropriate dose needed for protection against Omicron. The UK Health Security Agency is currently testing the efficacy of Evusheld against the Omicron variant and the Department and National Health Service are identifying appropriate patient cohorts and approaches to the potential deployment of pre-exposure prophylaxis. Determining the efficacy of Evusheld against the Omicron variant will be necessary prior to any procurement or deployment, to ensure ongoing effective therapy against COVID-19.

Immunocompromised patients are a priority cohort receiving novel effective COVID-19 treatments such as antiviral drugs, which are available in community settings.