Nope. I would much rather have a good filter than mechanically removes infectious particles, wildfire smoke, and particulates in general.

For a residential recirculating system, the relevant parameter is flow rate times fraction of particles removed in one pass. An AC or heater generally has a high flow rate and needs a filter to keep the heat exchanger and fan clean regardless. The added material and energy cost of a good filter is low.

On the other hand, if you are moving air from one space to another and don’t want to contaminate the space you’re moving air to, the absolute filter / sterilizer efficiency may matter. Things like HEPA may be useful here.

I would be surprised if a UV lamp is cost effective for new installation. For retrofit in a system that can’t handle a better filter, maybe.