§ Alistair BurtTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will ask the National Institute for Clinical Excellence to consider the use of methylprednisolone in the emergency treatment of spinal cord injuries; and if he will make a statement; [6746]
(2) what assessment he has made of the extent of the use of methylprednisolone in the immediate treatment of spinal cord injuries; and if he will make a statement. [6748]
306W
§ Mr. Hutton[holding answer 15 October 2001]: There has been a recent review of the evidence, in the journal Spinal Cord 2000, "High Dose methylprednisolone in the management of acute spinal cord injury—a systematic review from a clinical perspective." Their conclusion was that,
the evidence produced by this systematic review does not support the use of high dose methylprednisolone in acute spinal cord injury to improve neurological recovery. A deleterious effect on early mortality and morbidity cannot be excluded by this evidence.We are committed to keeping all interventions and treatment regimes under scrutiny and will consider commissioning guidance from the National Institute for Clinical Excellence if we believe the treatment will have a significant impact on patient care, National Health Service resources, Government health related policies or the ability to add value, for example by resolving uncertainty over the appropriate use of the technology.