New Guideline to help cut fallsUpdate to NICE guidance TA878 – Nirmatrelvir plus ritonavir, sotrovimab and tocilizumab for treating COVID-19New Guideline to help cut falls

NICE has republished its guidance TA878 – Nirmatrelvir plus ritonavir, sotrovimab and tocilizumab for treating COVID-19. The recommendation to extend access to treatment for a broader eligible population (people with diabetes, obesity or heart failure, or aged 70 years or over) has been withdrawn. In line with the original recommendation, Nirmatrelvir plus ritonavir (Paxlovid) is only recommended for patients at highest risk of serious illness as defined in Section 5 of TA878.

These changes mean that some additional groups that were eligible for treatment during the period of the funding variation are no longer subject to a NICE recommendation. These include:

• people aged 85 years and over
• people with end-stage heart failure who have a long-term ventricular assistance device
• people on the organ transplant waiting list
• people aged 70 years and over, or who have a BMI of 35 kg/m² or more, diabetes or heart failure, and are a resident in a care home, or are already hospitalised.