§ Mr. HealdTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what assessment he has made of the number of persons who have contracted viral infections in the last 12 months which could have been avoided if they had been prescribed recombinant factor VIII; [16625]
(2) what assessment he has made of the number of persons who have avoided viral infections as a result of the prescription of recombinant factor VIII; [16626]
§ Yvette Cooper[holding answer 22 November 2001]: We are not aware of any viral transmissions from the use of plasma-derived clotting factors for haemophiliacs in the United Kingdom in the last 12 months.
Heat treatment was introduced for UK-plasma products in the mid 1980s, and they have since had an excellent safety record. In addition, throughout this period, there have been increasingly sophisticated screening tests on the plasma, to improve the safety margin.
§ Mr. HealdTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what assessment he has made of the(a) availability and (b) level of supply from manufacturers of recombinant factor VIII; [16628]
967W(2) what plans he has to permit the provision of recombinant factor VIII to persons over the age of 16 years in England free of charge. [16627]
§ Yvette Cooper[holding answer 22 November 2002]: Patients with haemophilia up to age 20 (approximately 43 per cent. of all haemophilia patients) are eligible to receive recombinant clotting factors. There are no plans to allow haemophiliacs over age 16 to be exempt from prescription charges
These patients may not currently be receiving recombinant clotting factors due to the recent worldwide shortage. However, supplies are returning to normal and patients up to age 20 will receive recombinant clotting factors as soon as possible. We are giving active consideration to the case for providing recombinant clotting factors for all haemophilia patients in England.