New COVID-19 treatments available for some people with cystic fibrosis

From 16 December, those post-transplant and at highest risk of becoming seriously ill from COVID-19, which includes some people with CF, can access the antiviral treatment molnupiravir or the antibody treatment Ronapreve on the NHS, if they have had a positive PCR test.

These treatments can help some people manage their COVID-19 symptoms and reduce the risk of becoming seriously ill. Molnupiravir has shown in clinical trials to reduce the risk of hospitalisation or death for at-risk, non-hospitalised adults with mild to moderate COVID-19 by 30% and Ronapreve reduced the risk by 70%.

These cutting-edge treatments will help protect the most vulnerable over the winter months, which is positive news for the CF community.

You will be informed by the NHS if you are eligible to receive the treatments and test positive for COVID-19. If you have symptoms, you should take a PCR test at home and register your result so the NHS can get in touch within 24 hours to give you more information and check if the treatment is right for you.

Find out more on the NHS website

If you feel you may be eligible, but haven’t heard anything, you can contact your GP to discuss whether you should be in the highest risk group. 

For those people with CF aged 18 and over who are not immunosuppressed, there is also the opportunity to access the antiviral treatment molnupiravir through a new national study called PANORAMIC, which is being run by the University of Oxford in collaboration with GP hubs. The study, which launched yesterday (09 December), is recruiting around 10,000 people across the UK at risk of serious illness from COVID-19, which includes people with CF.

Those taking part in the study will have the opportunity to take molnupiravir at home after receiving a positive PCR test.

How can I take part in the study?

The PANORAMIC study is open to people with CF in the UK, provided they:

• are over 18
• receive a positive PCR test
• feel unwell with symptoms of COVID-19 that started in the last five days.

If eligible, people who receive a positive PCR test will be contacted by the study team or their GP to sign up to the trial. Or you can sign up yourself through the study’s website.

Taking part in the study will require you to complete a daily diary for 28 days through the PANORAMIC website or receive a phone call from the trial team on days 7, 14 and 28 to speak about their symptoms. The first set of results from the trial are expected in early 2022.

Find out more about the PANORAMIC study