§ Mr. McAllionTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the arrangements adopted in each health board area in Scotland for the prescription of the drug betaferon to patients suffering from multiple sclerosis; and what estimate he has made of the number of patients in each health board area potentially able to benefit from this drug. [29732]
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonThis information is not held centrally.
§ Mr. McAllionTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps he is taking to ensure that his Department's guidance on the use of the drug betaferon for patients suffering from multiple sclerosis is being consistently applied in each health board area in Scotland. [29733]
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonNHS circular MEL (1995) 73 issued on 16 November 1995 to all health boards and NHS trusts offering guidance in the context of their responsibilities to develop and plan local arrangements to manage the entry of beta interferon into the NHS.
The use of the drug for the treatment of patients suffering from multiple sclerosis is, in each case, a matter for the clinical judgment of the responsible medical practitioner.