Britain is launching an investigation into antiviral drugs to treat COVID-19 with the aim of having at least two effective home treatments by the end of the year, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Tuesday.
Johnson praised the advent of COVID-19 vaccines and regular tests as the key to restoring normalcy this summer, but his government also supports therapy research to help fight the pandemic.
“Our new Antiviral Taskforce will seek to develop innovative treatments that you can take home to stop COVID-19 in its tracks,” Johnson said.
“It could provide another important protection against future increases in infections and save more lives.”
The government hopes that new treatments can be taken home after a positive test or exposure to the coronavirus to reduce transmission and speed up recovery, and this will strengthen a range of already available therapies.
Research by UK scientists has found that both steroids dexamethasone and tocilizumab, an arthritis drug developed by Roche (ROG.S), reduce the risk of death in patients with severe COVID-19. read more
Patrick Vallance, the government’s chief scientific adviser, said antiviral drugs in tablet form could help people protect people who did not have vaccines and could be a low defense in light of new coronavirus variants.
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