§ Mr. KidneyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he(a) is taking and (b) intends to take to ensure that the guidelines set out in EL 95/97 for choosing those MS patients suitable for treatments with beta interferon are consistently implemented. [66740]
§ Ms JowellMost health authorities now have procedures in place by which suitable patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis can receive treatment with beta interferon. However, consideration is being given to the possible need for further guidance, in the light of continuing debate about the clinical and cost effectiveness of beta interferon.
§ Mr. Gordon PrenticeTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients with MS were prescribed Azathiopine between 1995 and 1998. [66856]
§ Ms JowellThe information requested is not available. 1,024,500 National Health Service prescriptions for Azathioprine were dispensed in the community in England between 1995 and 1997 (1998 data are not yet available), but hospital dispensing data, and information on medical conditions for which the drug was prescribed, and the numbers of patients for whom it was prescribed are not held centrally.