§ Mr. WhiteTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will list the health authorities which currently fund the use of interferon and ribavirin for the treatment of hepatitis C; and what is the estimated cost of offering this nationally; [118196]
(2) what plans he has to create a national standard of care that will be available to all sufferers of hepatitis C. [118195]
§ Yvette CooperDetails of individual health authorities' funding policies on particular drugs are not held centrally, but there is currently some inconsistency between health authorities' policies on the combination drug therapy interferon alpha plus ribavirin for the treatment of hepatitis C. We have commissioned the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) to consider the use of combination therapy to treat hepatitis C. Their findings are expected in September. They are also looking at evidence-based clinical guidelines for the management of patients with hepatitis C drawn up by the professions with funding from the Department. The recommendations of NICE, and the clinical guidelines, will provide authoritative guidance to healthcare commissioners and clinicians, creating a national standard of care.
The cost of offering combination therapy nationally cannot be estimated with accuracy because of variations such as the length of treatment required. Estimates are between £10 million and £18 million per annum, not including the price of tests and related capital costs.