§ Mr. GibbTo ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 19 April 2002,Official Report, column 1240W, on photodynamic therapy, under what circumstances the NHS will charge patients for photodynamic therapy. [53649]
§ Ms BlearsPatients should not be charged for photodynamic therapy where it is being provided as an integral part of their national health service treatment.
The National Institute for Clinical Excellence is currently conducting an appraisal of photodynamic therapy. In the meantime, we have asked NHS bodies to continue with local arrangements for the managed introduction of new technologies where guidance from NICE is not available at the time the technology first became available. These arrangements should involve an assessment of all relevant factors including the available evidence on effect.
We are expecting NICE to issue guidance to the NHS in July 2002, providing there are no appeals.
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§ Mr. HealdTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of people who will go blind in each of the next four years whose sight could be saved by photodynamic therapy. [50058]
§ Ms Blears[holding answer 16 April 2002]: A study sponsored by the Macular Disease Society in 2001 estimated that there were 182,000 people with age-related macular degeneration with a best eye visual acuity below that judged appropriate for certification as blind or partially sighted. Around 10 to 15 per cent. of those will have the 'wet' type of the condition, for which photodynamic therapy is intended as a treatment. However, it is not possible to say in how many cases the treatment would be effective. The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) is currently appraising the effectiveness of the treatment. We are expecting the NICE guidance to be issued to the national health service in July, providing there are no appeals.