The UK Government has announced that people who are at a higher risk of serious illness from covid-19 – which includes some people in the TSC community – will be among the first in the world to access antiviral and antibody treatments for covid-19 from home.

The national study, called ‘PANORAMIC’, has now launched and is recruiting around 10,000 people in the UK to take the treatment molnupiravir at home if they show a positive PCR test for covid-19. Those at the highest risk of series illness from covid-19, who show a positive covid-19 PCR test, will also be able to access either molnupiravir or antibody treatment Ronapreve outside of the study.

It is hoped that allowing people to take antiviral and antibody treatments at home will help to protect those most at risk from covid-19, while also reducing the number of hospitalisations and additional pressures on the NHS. This is significant for people who have compromised immune systems, as covid-19 vaccines might be less effective in some cases for these people.

I want to take part in PANORAMIC

Adults in the TSC community who are eligible can sign up PANORAMIC by clicking here. To be eligible you must:

• Be currently experiencing covid-19 symptoms (starting in the last five days) and
• Have a positive PCR test and
• Be aged 50+, or aged 12-49 if you have:
  • LAM (lymphangioleiomyomatosis)
  • Kidney impairment (with reduced GFR below 30 mrs/min)
  • Epilepsy
  • Severe or profound learning disability
  • Immunosuppression, including those taking everolimus or sirolimus
  • Organ transplant recipients
  • Severe mental illness
  • Care home residents
  • Considered by their clinician to be clinically vulnerable (if this is you, your doctor may have previously told you, or you may have received a letter from the NHS earlier in the pandemic about shielding)

I am at high risk of serious illness from covid-19 and want to access at-home treatments

If you are eligible to access antibody or antiviral treatments outside of the study, the NHS will contact you to confirm that you’re eligible to receive these treatments, should you test positive for covid-19. This could include individuals in the TSC community who:

• Are considered to be clinically extremely vulnerable and were advised to shield at the start of the pandemic
• Are organ transplant recipients
• Have kidney impairment (with reduced GFR below 30 mrs/min)

If you feel you or a loved one with TSC should be eligible, but you haven’t received a letter, you should contact your GP or TSC clinician to discuss whether you should be in the highest risk group.

You should call 119 if you think you may be eligible for treatment but have not received your test kit.