HC Deb 18 January 2002 vol 378 cc533-4W
Mr. Hurst

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) when he expects to receive the findings of NICE regarding the use of the drug Herceptin as treatment for breast cancer; and if he will make a statement; [26962]

(2) which health authorities in England and Wales have authorised the use of the drug Herceptin as treatment for breast cancer within the national health service. [26960]

Yvette Cooper

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and the National Assembly for Wales have asked the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) to appraise Herceptin for the treatment of advanced breast cancer, and to issue guidance on its use to the NHS in England and Wales. NICE expects to issue guidance on Herceptin in spring 2002.

Data on the number of health authorities in England and Wales currently authorising the use of Herceptin is not collected. However, as with all newly licensed treatments in advance of a NICE appraisal, the Department's advice is that funding authorities should consider the clinical evidence available for a specific treatment before making any decision.