§ Bob SpinkTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what priority he places on the treatment of diabetes; [18148]
(2) what plans he has to review the national treatment standards for diabetes sufferers; and if he will make a statement. [18149]
§ Jacqui SmithWe are committed to improving the quality of care for people with diabetes. That is why we are developing a National Service Framework for Diabetes. We shall shortly be publishing, as the first stage of the Framework, a document setting out the first ever set of national standards for the treatment of diabetes.
§ Bob SpinkTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of new drugs to treat type 1 diabetes; and if he will make a statement. [18147]
§ Jacqui SmithThe Medicines Control Agency has not received any licence application for any new drug to treat type 1 diabetes. Should an application be made for a new982W drug or for a new formulation, the agency will carefully evaluate the safety, quality and efficacy of the product prior to licensing.
We announced on 31 July that we were referring long-acting insulin analogues to the National Institute for Clinical Excellence for appraisal. The Institute appraises the clinical and cost effectiveness of treatments and issues authoritative, evidence based guidance to the national health service, in order to ensure that people have equal access to effective treatments wherever they live.