Britain is launching a search for antivirals to treat COVID-19 with the aim of having at least two effective treatments at home by the end of the year, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Tuesday.
Johnson has hailed the advent of COVID-19 vaccines and periodic testing as the keys to returning to normalcy in the summer, but his government is also supporting research into therapeutic products to help fight the pandemic.
“Our new antiviral working group will try to develop innovative treatments you can take at home to stop COVID-19,” Johnson said.
“They could provide another vital defense against any future increase in infections and save more lives.”
The government hopes that new treatments can be taken at home after a positive test or exposure to coronavirus in order to reduce transmission and speed recovery, and will further strengthen a range of therapeutic products already available.
Research by British scientists has established that both the steroid dexamethasone and tocilizumab, an anti-arthritis drug developed by Roche (ROG.S), reduced the risk of death in patients with severe COVID-19. Read more
Patrick Vallance, chief scientific adviser to the government, said antivirals in pill form could help protect people who might not have vaccines and be a layer of defense against the new variants of the coronavirus that concern them.
Our standards: the principles of trust of Thomson Reuters.