Molnupiravir is the world’s first approved antiviral for covid which can be taken by mouth rather than intravenously. This week it was approved by the UK medicines regulator (MHRA). It will be available on the NHS soon. This means Guernsey should have access to it “in due course”.

“We have been aware that this new drug was on the horizon and it looks like an exciting development to help keep people with covid-19 out of hospital,” said Dr Peter Rabey, the States’ Medical Director.

“So far, we have adopted all NICE-approved treatments for covid and we hope to get access to this treatment too in due course. We await with interest details of the roll-out, which is likely to be available to patients in the NHS in the next few weeks.”

Dr Peter Rabey

Pictured: Dr Peter Rabey, States’ Medical Director, hopes the Bailiwick will obtain a new antiviral pill shown to reduce the most serious cases of covid by 50%.

The pill is most effective when taken during the early stages of infection. The medicines regulator advises its use as soon as possible after a positive covid-19 test is received and within five days of symptoms appearing.  

UK Health Secretary Sajid Javid described the treatment as a “gamechanger for the most vulnerable and the immunosuppressed”.

The drug is produced by Merck, an American pharmaceutical company. It is known commercially as Lagevrio. It targets an enzyme used by the covid virus to make copies of itself and introduces errors into its genetic code to prevent it from multiplying. This helps to maintain low virus levels in the body and reduce the severity of the disease.

Merck said the treatment should be effective against new variants of the virus as it evolves in the future.

Pictured: The latest figures on covid – released on Friday – show 59 new cases and 21 recoveries. 30 of the new cases are symptomatic community cases.

There are now 217 known cases of covid in the Bailiwick – 211 in Guernsey and Herm, four in Sark and two in Alderney. One person is in hospital with the illness.

The latest vaccination figures made available by the States include the following:

  • 92% of the Bailiwick’s adult population have had two dose of the vaccine; 
  • 79% of children aged 16 and 17 have had a minimum of one dose;
  • 38% of children aged 12-15 have received at least one dose;
  • 25% of people aged 50 and over have received a minimum of one booster.