§ Mr. Stottasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what research into Interferon is currently taking place in the United Kingdom.
§ Dr. VaughanA statement issued recently by the co-ordinating committee on cancer research—which is sponsored by three major voluntary bodies supporting cancer research and the Medical Research Council—and the Health Departments explained the difficulty of producing sufficient Interferon for use in carefully designed clinical trials to establish its effectiveness, and also the need for research to discover better ways of producing the substance.
I understand that the Imperial Cancer Research Fund is supporting a clinical trial expected to commence soon at St. Bartholomew's hospital, London.
The Medical Research Council is continuing basic research into Interferon and a team at Cambridge and Warwick universities recently announced the isolation of a monoclonal antibody to Interferon which should facilitate further research.
§ Mr. Stottasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what plans he has for the use of the drug Interferon in the National Health Service.
§ Dr. VaughanI refer the hon. Member to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Rochester and Chatham (Mrs. Fenner) on 24 July.—[Vol. 989, c.369–70.]