Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Department of Health and Social Care on 20 April (151279), what estimate they have made of when the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) will complete the testing of Evusheld against Omicron sub-variants; and why this has taken longer to complete than in (1) the US, and (2) the EU.

AstraZeneca commissioned the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) to complete testing as part of studies into the effectiveness of Evusheld against Omicron variants. Initial data has been shared with AstraZeneca and testing continues for the Omicron variant BA.4. As timing of the results are dependent on a number of factors, we are currently unable to confirm the date of completion. AstraZeneca will review such data and determine whether further testing should be commissioned.

When undertaking testing, the UKHSA follows strict processes designed to ensure such treatments are effective. These processes may differ from regulations in other jurisdictions.