§ Mr. HealdTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made as to the opinion of psychiatrists on the efficacy of atypical antipsychotic medicines. [13783]
§ Jacqui SmithThe Medicines Control Agency (MCA) is the United Kingdom Government agency responsible for ensuring that all medicines on the UK market are safe, effective and of suitable quality. Any new drug substance which has not been marketed before in the UK will be assessed by the MCA's independent advisory committee—the Committee on Safety of Medicines (CSM). The CSM has psychiatrists among its membership and can also bring in psychiatric expertise if necessary on an ad hoc basis. The CSM assesses medicines purely on the basis of safety versus efficacy and does not consider cost effectiveness.
The National Institute for Clinical Excellence has been asked to provide guidance concerning the clinical and cost effectiveness of atypical antipsychotics in the treatment of schizophrenia. The process of drawing up this guidance involves a detailed appraisal of the available literature followed by drafting of the guidance. The latter activity will include a range of expertise, including psychiatric.