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A world-first Covid-19 study needs at least 6,000 more participants to sign up so that life-saving antiviral treatments can be rolled out to the general public.
The government is urging adults over the age of 50, or younger adults with an underlying health condition, who test positive for Covid-19 to participate in the study.
Those who meet the requirements are eligible to enrol if their Covid symptoms began in the previous five days, and they can sign up as soon as they receive a positive PCR or lateral flow test result.
Charities including Kidney Care UK, Cystic Fibrosis Trust, Diabetes UK and the British Liver Trust have joined the government’s calls, in hopes of keeping as many people out of hospital as possible.
Participants will be given a tablet to take at home
Eligible participants will be given a tablet, Molnupiravir, to take at home during the study. The tablet was granted approval for use by the Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Authority (MHRA) in November 2021 after trials showed promising results.
Molnupiravir has shown to reduce the risk of hospitalisation and deaths in adults with mild-to-moderate Covid by 30 percent. The tablet therefore has the potential to save thousands of lives once they are available to the NHS.
The Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid said that while the vaccines are “critical” as a first line of defence, antivirals will enable us to “learn to live with Covid by preventing the most vulnerable from being hospitalised.”
He added: “If you’re eligible, please step forward for the Panoramic trial and play your part in a vital mission – helping us to learn more about medicines which could save thousands of lives.”
Concerns that as restrictions ease, people will be made more vulnerable to the virus
A double lung transplant recipient who lives with cystic fibrosis, Pippa Erskine, accessed antivirals after testing positive for Covid at the start of January.
Pippa said knowing antivirals would help ease her symptoms and prevent potential complications was a “huge relief.”
She said: “With restrictions easing, it’s so important that those vulnerable to Covid-19 have the best possible chance of staying protected against the virus and, most importantly, staying out of hospital. Antivirals are essential to this.
“I’d urge anyone eligible for the trial to put themselves forward to help make antivirals more widely available, and to protect themselves and others.”
You can sign up to the study by visiting www.panoramictrial.org or your GP may contact you to ask you to participate if you test positive for Covid.