Millions of life-saving Covid-19 drugs go to waste after NHS backtracks on plans to offer them to the most vulnerable
- Paxlovid would be offered to the elderly, overweight people and people with diabetes
- NHS England appealed this recommendation, arguing it would be too expensive
The NHS has backtracked on its plans to offer a life-saving Covid drug to the elderly and obese this winter, meaning millions of doses already purchased could go to waste.
The treatment, called Paxlovid, is given as soon as possible after a positive test for Covid, and prevents patients from becoming seriously ill and ending up in hospital with the virus.
It is currently being offered to people with conditions that mean their bodies do not respond to the Covid vaccines, putting them at serious risk. This includes both blood cancer patients and patients who have undergone an organ transplant.
In May, the NHS spending watchdog, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), recommended offering the drug to people over 70, those who are overweight and those with diabetes or heart disease. This would increase the number of people eligible for Paxlovid from about 4 million to 15 million.
The antiviral drug is intended for use by patients who are believed to be seriously ill from the deadly virus, such as the elderly and those with pre-existing conditions such as heart disease.
But NHS England has appealed against this recommendation, arguing the move would be unaffordable and cost around £20 million a year. Instead, the health care system plans to expand treatment options to patients over the age of 85. It will also include those who fall into the newly recommended group, but they must also live in a care home or have already been admitted to hospital with an unrelated problem.
However, millions of doses of the £150-per-treatment drug have already been purchased. Because it has a limited shelf life, many of these doses may be lost.
Experts also say the decision will endanger lives. Studies show that Paxlovid can reduce the risk of death or hospitalization from Covid by around 90 per cent – and the World Health Organization recommends that patients at risk of hospital admission from Covid are offered the drug.
“It is disappointing that millions of patients are not eligible for Paxlovid,” said Professor Azeem Majeed, head of primary care and public health at Imperial College London.
‘There is good evidence that older people, people with obesity or diabetes are at risk of severe Covid symptoms even after vaccination. If a broader group of patients could receive Paxlovid, hospital pressure would decrease in the coming months.’
An NHS spokesperson said: ‘The NHS will need time to implement a change of this scale in a way that continues to prioritize people most at risk from Covid.’