Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made, if any, of widening the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation’s remit to encompass the provision of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PREP) for the clinically extremely vulnerable to COVID-19.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation’s remit continues to focus on the prioritisation of cohorts eligible for vaccination. The Department’s Antivirals and Therapeutics Taskforce (ATTF) is scoping the potential for pre-exposure prophylaxis, with experts from the Prophylaxis Oversight Group, the UK Health Security Agency, and the multi-agency group RAPID C-19. This includes identification of the patient groups which could most benefit, potential deployment and administration processes and evaluation of potential pre-exposure prophylaxis products.

The patient cohorts eligible for treatment with antivirals and monoclonal antibodies have been determined by an independent expert group commissioned by the Department and included in a clinical policy agreed by the United Kingdom Chief Medical Officers. This group will also consider the patient groups eligible for any potential pre-exposure prophylactic treatments. The ATTF will continue to engage with the JCVI to ensure that clinical policy is aligned.