HL Deb 10 November 1999 vol 606 cc171-2WA
Lord Lucas

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether there is any public danger from experiments to seek to treat cancer by giving the cold virus, and other easily transmissible viruses, highly toxic payloads: and whether they will place in the Library of the House the detailed methodology of any experiments currently under way in the United Kingdom. [HL4211]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Hunt of Kings Heath)

The risk of danger to the public from viruses used to carry therapeutic genes into cancer cells of patients is assessed very carefully by the Medicines Control Agency and the Gene Therapy Advisory Committee before permission to supply any gene therapy product for a clinical trial is given.

Any possible risks to health care workers or to the general public also have to be assessed under legislation covering health and safety at work.

Any application to carry out gene therapy must provide evidence to support the quality and safety of the product for the proposed clinical trial. As part of the evidence of quality, the applicant must show that the viruses to be used are modified to prevent them from replicating themselves as they do in nature and also show in very stringent experiments that they do not have the ability to replicate themselves. As part of the evidence of safety, the applicant must show from the results of laboratory tests that the gene or its product is not toxic.

The Gene Therapy Advisory Committee produces annual reports and these contain details of every study approved during the reporting year. Copies are available in the Library.