It’s been announced today that the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has approved a new COVID-19 treatment for use in the UK.
Following a rigorous review of its safety, quality, and effectiveness by the UK regulator and the government’s independent expert scientific advisory body, the Commission on Human Medicines, the treatment was found to successfully reduce the risk of hospitalisation and death in people with mild to moderate COVID-19 infection, who are at an increased risk of developing severe disease.
The treatment – known as Xevudy (sotrovimab) – has been developed by GSK and Vir Biotechnology, and is a single monoclonal antibody that, according to a statement published by the UK government website, works by binding to the spike protein on the outside of the COVID-19 virus.
This in turn prevents the virus from attaching to and entering human cells, so that it cannot replicate in the body.
Xevudy is the second monoclonal antibody therapeutic to be approved, following Ronapreve.
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In a clinical trial, a single dose of the monoclonal antibody was found to reduce the risk of hospitalisation and death by 79% in high-risk adults with symptomatic COVID-19 infection, and based on the clinical trial data, the government says sotrovimab is most effective when taken during the early stages of infection.
And so, the MHRA has said it recommends its use as soon as possible and within five days of symptom onset.
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BREAKING NEWS:
A new treatment against COVID-19 has been approved by @MHRAgovuk.
We'll closely monitor how effective Xevudy is against the Omicron variant and will work on deployment plans with the NHS.https://t.co/ZilAKtwdaO
The approval for use of this treatment follows the confirmation that the first pill to treat symptomatic COVID-19 – molnupiravir – has also been approved for use in the UK back at the start of November.
Like molnupiravir, Xevudy has been authorised for use in people who have mild to moderate COVID-19 infection, and at least one risk factor for developing severe illness – such as obesity, older age (+60 years), diabetes mellitus, or heart disease – but unlike molnupiravir, sotrovimab is administered by intravenous infusion over 30 minutes, and it has also been approved for individuals aged 12 and above who weigh more than 40kg.
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The MHRA says it’s too early to know whether the Omicron variant has any impact on sotrovimab’s effectiveness, but the body will work with the company to establish this.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has approved a new COVID-19 treatment for use in the UK / Credit: Pixabay
“I am pleased to say that we now have another safe and effective COVID-19 treatment, Xevudy (sotrovimab), for those at risk of developing severe illness,” announced Dr June Raine, Chief Executive of the MHRA.
“This is yet another therapeutic that has been shown to be effective at protecting those most vulnerable to COVID-19, and signals another significant step forward in our fight against this devastating disease.
“With no compromises on quality, safety and effectiveness, the public can trust that the MHRA have conducted a robust and thorough assessment of all the available data.”
Featured Image – Flickr
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Details released of Andy Burnham’s meetings with Manchester City owners while Mayor
Emily Sergeant
Details of Andy Burnham’s meetings with Manchester City owners during his tenure as Mayor of Greater Manchester have been released.
In case you need bringing up to speed on the situation a little first, Manchester City was found guilty back in September all of its charges related to the Premier League’s financial rules over a nine-season period, and on top of that, was also found guilty of the majority of charges in relation to its failure to co-operate with the League’s investigation.
According to the Premier League, the independent Commission found that Manchester City had arranged so-called ‘sham’ commercial deals with a number of its sponsors.
These were part of a disguised funding scheme – with those sponsors only required to pay a portion of the relevant sponsorship fees.
The remainder was then funded by Abu Dhabi United Group Investment & Development Ltd (ADUG), which owned the club.
The Commission also concluded, as quoted by the Premier League, that the club had ‘made concerted efforts to stop and frustrate the Premier League investigation’.
Within the past week or so, it has since come to light that now-Prime Minister Andy Burnham had dealings with Manchester City during his tenure as Greater Manchester Mayor, and Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) has now issued a public statement, giving details on the matter and what these ‘dealings’ entailed.
A spokesperson for GMCA confirmed that Burnham had a ‘formal meeting’ with Man City Chairman, Khaldoon Al Mubarak, back in October 2021.
The statement reads in full: “In October 2021, Andy Burnham, in his role as Mayor of Greater Manchester, had a formal meeting with Khaldoon Al Mubarak at the UK Government’s Global Investment Summit arranged by the Department for International Trade.
“In his capacity as Mayor, he was a guest of Manchester City FC at home matches on a small number of occasions, including attending Vincent Kompany’s testimonial match in September 2019, where he met the Chairman informally in the stands. These have been declared in the usual way.
“Also during his time as Mayor, representatives of Greater Manchester sporting clubs would routinely join business delegations as part of Mayoral international visits.
“This included representatives from Manchester United travelling to Austin and Dublin, Lancashire Cricket Club joining a delegation to India, and Manchester City FC staff supporting visits to China and Japan.”
Featured Image – Lauren Hurley / Number 10 Downing Street (Press Image via Flickr)
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Multiple arrests made for ‘tragedy chanting’ and police officer assault as Man City defeated Liverpool
Emily Sergeant
Multiple people were arrested over the weekend as Manchester City defeated Liverpool in a Premier League clash.
Merseyside Police have confirmed that a total of 10 people were arrested during the policing operation at Liverpool’s home ground of Anfield as they hosted Manchester City on Sunday 11 October.
One man was arrested on suspicion of assaulting a police constable, five were on suspicion of tragedy chanting, one on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly, two for affray, and one on suspicion of throwing items onto the pitch.
Police are now appealing to the public, and are particularly looking to speak to witnesses of the assault of the officer.
At around 6:35pm, as fans left the stadium, a police officer sustained a ‘serious facial injury’ during the arrest of a man on Anfield Road, and was subsequently taken to hospital for treatment but is now recovering at home.
Investigating officers are now conducting enquiries, speaking to witnesses, and analysing CCTV and camera phone footage.
Chief Inspector Leanne Hobin said it’s ‘extremely disappointing’ that an officer has sustained a serious injury while carrying out their duty.
“I hope the arrests send a clear message and act as a deterrent to others,” Chief Inspector Hobin continued. “Anyone who engages in this abhorrent behaviour risks ending up in custody and getting a criminal record.
“Despite the actions of a few, the overwhelming majority of the 60,000 fans in attendance behaved well and I want to thank them for their co-operation.”
Manchester City ended up defeated Liverpool 3-0 during the Premier League clash at Anfield.
The Manc -
2nd December 2021 
