This article from SMH refers to the role of future antivirals in tablet form to be taken at home to treat Covid-19, the potential for use of nasal sprays, and also mentions a new treatment being developed by Astra Zeneca. Oh wouldn't it be lovely if this involved SPL!
London: Coronavirus cases could be “stopped in their tracks” by take-at-home pills the British government plans to discover and distribute within six months.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the search for new antiviral medication would revolutionise how COVID-19 is treated should the disease permanently circulate similar to the seasonal flu.
The British government wants to support the creation of at least two antiviral pills.
Johnson said a new taskforce would drive the development of at least two new pills or capsules by the onset of autumn in September.
“This means that if you test positive, there might be a tablet you can take at home to stop the virus in its tracks and significantly reduce the chance of infection turning into more severe disease,” he said.
Advertisement“Or, if you are living with someone who has tested positive, there might be a pill you could take for a few days to stop you from getting the disease yourself.”
The taskforce will be modelled on the panel of experts whose work in identifying and buying the most promising vaccine candidates during 2020 laid the groundwork for the United Kingdom’s world-leading rollout.
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Chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance said pills would bolster the impact of the vaccine program and be easier to distribute than traditional antiviral drugs.
Remdesivir is used in some countries to treat COVID-19 but the drug must be intravenously administered in hospitals.
AdvertisementAnother treatment, the steroid dexamethasone, is administered via tablets or injection and has been credited with saving an estimated 22,000 lives in the UK and one million worldwide.
“The speed at which vaccines and therapeutics such as dexamethasone have been identified and deployed against COVID-19 has been critical to the pandemic response,” Vallance said.
“Antivirals in tablet form are another key tool for the response. They could help protect those not protected by or ineligible for vaccines.
“They could also be another layer of defence in the face of new variants of concern.”
The government wants two options developed, approved and released for consumption by the autumn ahead of a potential spike in cases over winter.
AdvertisementThe taskforce will also look at whether the pills can be manufactured onshore.
