HC Deb 24 January 1991 vol 184 cc305-6W
Mrs. Margaret Ewing

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many haemophiliacs in Scotland who require Factor VIII injections are given the new highly purified material from Armour Pharmaceuticals; how many are given the older material from Bio Products; and if he will break down the figures for each health board.

Community Charge Benefit Percentage of community charge paying population
With Income Support (000) Without Income Support (000) Total (000) per cent.
England 3,190 4,070 7,260 20
Wales 270 240 510 23
Scotland 480 470 950 25
Great Britain 3,950 4,780 8,730 21

These figures are likely to underestimate the current position, because some authorities still had a number of unprocessed claims at the time. Not all community charge payers are eligible for community charge benefit, and it is not possible to give estimates of the eligible population for community charge benefit until the appropriate survey data becomes available.

Note: Total does not equal sum of components because of rounding.

Source: Housing and Community Charge Benefit Management Information System August 1990 quarterly count of claims; and Family Expenditure Survey-based analyses.

Mr. Michael Forsyth

[holding answer 22 January 1991]: Five patients, four in the Lothian health board area and one in Greater Glasgow, are being treated with Factor VIII produced by the Armour Pharmaceutical Company. A further 245 are being treated with intermediate potency Factor VIII concentrate produced by the Scottish national blood transfusion service (SNBTS).

The prescribing of Factor VIII is a matter for clinical judgment, but there is no reason to consider that the current SNBTS product is less efficacious than commercial products for those patients for whom it is prescribed.

The SNBTS keeps all its products under review, developing them in line with technological and scientific advances. I have today given my approval to the SNBTS to enter into agreement with the French blood transfusion service at Lille to exchange technological knowledge. This agreement will enable the SNBTS to produce a higher potency Factor VIII which will be available for clinicians to prescribe to haemophiliacs in Scotland in the course of 1991.