§ Mr. Alex CarlileTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will list the final destinations of all blood products from United Kingdom donors which have been sold abroad; and if he will make a statement; [40435]
(2) if he will list all blood products by type, from United Kingdom donors, which have been sold by Bio-Products Laboratory; and if he will make a statement. [40436]
§ Mr. SackvilleThe Bio-Products Laboratory, which is part of the National Blood Authority, offers surplus blood products for sale abroad only after national health service demand is satisfied. The only blood product where present availability significantly exceeds NHS demand is albumin, although small quantities of factor 8 and factor 9 are sometimes surplus to NHS requirements. The products are exported worldwide. This avoids waste of a valuable resource and keeps down costs to the NHS. The alternative would be destruction.
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