§ 8. Mrs. Helen JacksonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what drugs are available on the national health service for the treatment of multiple sclerosis. [411]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health (Mr. Paul Boateng)Two beta-interferon drugs are currently licensed for the treatment of multiple sclerosis and are available on the national health service. A wide range of drugs is available on the NHS to help alleviate the symptoms caused by the disease.
§ Mrs. JacksonI welcome my hon. Friend to his new position. Is he aware of the great disparity between health 498 authorities regarding the availability of those remedies to people suffering from multiple sclerosis? That causes immense distress to sufferers and their families who know that remedies are available that might slow down the progress of the disease but who are told by their local health authorities that the remedies are not available. Will my hon. Friend take action to ensure that health authorities make such remedies available on the basis of effectiveness and need rather than on the basis of resources or cost?
§ Mr. BoatengI thank my hon. Friend for her kind sentiments and for her important question. She will know—the MS Society has made it clear—that there is limited use of those drugs only in relation to some patients. Therefore, the Department considered it appropriate to issue guidelines that preserve a degree of local and clinical discretion in that area. We shall undertake to ensure that those guidelines are applied properly. I have also asked for a report on the way in which health authorities are implementing the guidelines.