Covid-19: UK orders millions more antiviral pills as Omicron spreads

The U.K. government will buy millions more Covid-19 antiviral pills from Pfizer Inc. and Merck & Co. as it seeks to combat the surge in omicron infections and reduce rising pressure on the country’s hospitals.  

Britain has secured an additional 1.75 million courses of Merck’s drug, molnupiravir, and an additional 2.5 million courses of Pfizer’s paxlovid, according to a statement Wednesday. Previously the U.K. had sourced 480,000 courses of molnupiravir and 250,000 courses of paxlovid.  

Antivirals are used to treat those who are infected with Covid or sometimes to protect exposed individuals from becoming infected. They target the virus at an early stage, preventing progression to more severe symptoms. 

In November, Britain’s health regulator became the first in the world to approve molnupiravir, describing the treatment as safe and effective following a swift review. The drug is authorized for use in people with mild to moderate Covid and at least one risk factor for developing severe illness. It is already being rolled out to hundreds of patients in a national study that is being run by the University of Oxford.  

Paxlovid has yet to be authorized by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency but if it is the drug will also be deployed through the Oxford study.  

The order is one of several measures Britain is deploying to try to neutralise omicron, including making vaccine boosters available to everyone over 18, requiring vaccine passports for some indoor venues and tightening restrictions on mask-wearing.