§ Mr. Woodasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what effect the availability of the new biosynthetic growth hormone will have on treatment in the National Health Service of children suffering from growth hormone deficiency.
§ Mr. WhitneyAll those interested in the treatment of growth hormone deficiency in children will share my relief that an alternative to human growth hormone has become available so soon. The availability of the new product will make treatment more flexible and convenient in that it can now be provided in any hospital or by any general practitioner for any child appropriately diagnosed by a specialist medical practitioner as requiring treatment for growth hormone deficiency. I know that the comparatively high cost of biosynthetic growth hormone has led to suggestions that treatment will be curtailed. I have no 347W reason to suppose that this will be the case, particularly as those costs will now be spread over the Health Service as a whole rather than falling upon a few health authorities.