Since the start of the pandemic, Charles Truby's life has been put on hold. The 56-year-old has a condition known as common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) which means he has low levels of antibodies and is at heightened risk of infections.
As a consequence, throughout the Covid crisis the qualified school teacher has had to shield and cannot work. "I'm a people person and when I teach I feed off the energy of my students," he said. "I feel like for the past two-and-a-half years I've been robbed of something I really love doing."
Charles, from Llandrindod Wells, Powys, said a Covid drug known as Evusheld, an antibody treatment which is designed to protect clinically vulnerable people against Covid in cases where vaccines are not as effective, would have offered him a safe route back into teaching. But earlier this month it was announced that the UK Government wouldn't be funding it for use on the NHS this autumn and winter. You can get more health news and other story updates straight to your inbox by subscribing to our newsletters here.
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Campaigners claim that the decision could have devastating consequences to patients with weakened immune systems, including those with blood cancer, those who have had organ transplants and some people with multiple sclerosis.
"I am mature enough to cope. I can grit my teeth and have a stiff upper lip and get on with things," added Charles, who's also got lung damage and had five Covid jabs. "But this will also affect children who are immunosuppressed or immuno-compromised. These kids cannot be kids and it'll affect them most.
"The vast majority of us [who need this drug] are of working age. We can easily make up for the costs of this drug based on the taxes we'd pay by being in employment. This is short-sighted [from the UK Government]."
Evusheld was was authorised by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) on March 17 this year which means it met safety, quality and effectiveness standards. The European Medicines Agency also decided that Evusheld's benefits are greater than its risks and gave authorisation for it to be used in the EU.
Up to 32 other countries are already using Evusheld, including the United States, France and Canada, and data has shown reduced hospitalisations and deaths among this patient group. The UK is the only G7 country not to offer this potentially life-saving drug to its population.
The chief executives of Blood Cancer UK, MS Society and Leukaemia Care are among the signatories urging UK Government Health Secretary Steve Barclay to think again over Evusheld. "This announcement was a crushing disappointment to many in our community who are feeling forgotten and left behind," the charity leaders wrote.
"I urge you to reconsider and give the immunocompromised community the opportunity to lead normal lives again. These concerns are held widely and we are pleased to send this letter jointly with organisations who represent many of the approximately 500,000 immunosuppressed people in the UK, which includes organ transplant recipients and people living with long-term medical conditions.
"These groups remain at very high risk from Covid – transplant recipients have a relative risk of death 26 times that of the general population, despite vaccination."
Evusheld, made by AstraZeneca, costs approximately £800 per dose. Clinical trials in adults show a 77% reduction in the risk of developing Covid symptoms for at least six months after a single dose. However, ministers have said there is insufficient data on whether it will work against the Omicron variant, as the now dominant strain of coronavirus was not in circulation during clinical trials of the drug.
The UK Government has decided to not buy Evusheld until 2023 at the earliest following an appraisal by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). MP for Ceredigion, Ben Lake, and Plaid Cymru health spokesman Rhun ap Iorwerth have written to Health Minister Eluned Morgan to see whether the Welsh Government will offer it free on the Welsh NHS.
"We believe that a successful delivery of a coronavirus prophylactic antibody therapy programme would deliver significant benefits to healthcare systems, communities and immunocompromised individuals," they wrote. "We therefore ask you to outline what discussions you have had with the UK Government on the procurement of Evusheld, and urgently request that you consider the possibility of making Evusheld available on the NHS in Wales."
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has been completing tests to provide more information on how well Evusheld 'neutralises' Omicron variants.
A Welsh Government spokesperson said: "Following a robust review of the available data, the advice of the UK clinical expert group and the analysis by UKHSA indicates there is currently insufficient data on the duration of protection offered by Evusheld against the Omicron variant. We will therefore not be procuring any doses until additional evidence of effectiveness has been demonstrated. For most people, the best way to prevent infection is vaccination."
A UK Government spokesman said: "We are determined to support the most vulnerable as we live with Covid and immunocompromised patients are a priority for other treatments, access to free tests and vaccination. We continue to explore the market for promising treatments that could prevent infection, to add to the antibody and antiviral treatments that are already offered on the NHS."
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