Sajid Javid has secured hundreds of thousands of doses of two antiviral treatments

Sajid Javid, Health Secretary, has secured hundreds of thousands of doses of two antiviral treatments. Although the medicines regulator hasn’t approved the doses, Javid highlighted that he aimed to deploy the treatments quickly to protect the vulnerable during the winter months.

The government has secured 480,000 doses of Merck Sharp and Dohme (MSD) and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics’ molnupiravir, as well as 250,000 doses of Pfizer’s PF-07321332/ritonavir.

Neither manufacturer has published the outcomes from the clinical trials of the drugs as of yet.

Chair of the Antivirals Taskforce, Eddie Gray, stated: “Should they be approved by the medicines regulator, we could see treatments rolled out to patients this winter, providing them with vital protection.”