Covid-19 treatments for people with MS

The government has announced that people with MS are eligible to receive one of two new treatments if they become infected with Covid-19. These treatments can be taken early, with the aim of preventing you from getting so ill that you need to go into hospital. Before this, treatments for Covid-19 had to be given in hospital, and tended to be given to people who were already severely unwell. By giving the treatments earlier to people who are at increased risk of severe disease, it is hoped that more people can benefit.

People with MS are included in this group because catching Covid-19 could potentially have a greater impact on their health than other people. Some treatments for MS can also make you more likely to get an infection or make it harder to recover from infection. Some people with MS who have caught Covid-19 have reported that their MS symptoms worsened while they were infected and during recovery.

What do I need to do?

If you live in England, you may already have had a letter or email from the NHS with details about this option. You will shortly be sent a PCR kit to keep at home. A PCR kit is a test that you can do at home and send off to a lab.

You should do the test if you notice any of the main Covid-19 symptoms (a new continuous cough, a high temperature or a lost sense of smell or taste).

If you have not received a PCR kit by 10 January, you can call 119 to ask for one, or you can book a PCR test online.

If you notice Covid-19 symptoms before you get your kit, you can call 111 to get a rapid referral. It is best to start the treatment as soon as possible after you test positive.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are not currently sending out PCR test kits to keep at home, ready for you to use in case you develop Covid-19 symptoms. If you do develop Covid-19 symptoms, you can go online or call 119 to book a test at a test centre or order a PCR test to do at home. See the links below for more details of how to book a PCR test.

What happens next?

If your PCR test is positive, an NHS Covid Medicines Delivery Unit (CMDU) will get in touch with you, normally within 24 hours. This could be by text, email or phone. They will assess your need and either send you a medicine you can take as a tablet at home (molnupiravir), or arrange for you to visit the NHS CMDU for a treatment that is given by infusion (sotrovimab).

Molnupiravir (brand name Lagevrio) is an antiviral medicine you take as tablets over several days. It works by causing mutations in the virus that stop it from proliferating. In clinical trials, molnupiravir was found to be effective in reducing the risk of hospitalisation or death for at-risk non-hospitalised adults with mild to moderate Covid-19 by 50%.

If you would like further details, you can read the patient information leaflet for molnupiravir (Lagevrio)

Sotrovimab (Xevudy) is a biological medicine known as a neutralising monoclonal antibody (nMAb). You take sotrovimab as an infusion that lasts around 30 minutes. nMAbs are synthetic proteins that act like human antibodies in the immune system. They stick to the virus and stop it from getting into your lungs and causing an infection. In a clinical trial, a single dose of sotrovimab was found to reduce the risk of hospitalisation and death by 79% in high-risk adults with symptomatic Covid-19 infection.

If you would like further details, you can read the patient information leaflet for sotrovimab (Xevudy)