§ Paul FlynnTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what submissions he has received seeking the increased use of anti-TNF therapies for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis; and what assessment he has made of the level of financial support from pharmaceutical companies for these submissions. [26031]
§ Mr. HuttonI apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in responding to this question. I refer the hon. Member to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002,Official Report, column 192W.
We are not aware of having received any formal submissions on this subject. The National Institute of Clinical Excellence are currently evaluating anti-TNF therapy, so we would expect that they would receive any submissions. There has, however, been correspondence from MPs and the public, as well as several parliamentary questions, on anti-TNF therapy.