§ Mr. David AtkinsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress is being made by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence in appraising the drug Memantine for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease; and if he will make a statement. [124980]
§ Dr. LadymanThe anticipated publication date of guidance by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) is May 2005. Details of the anticipated publication date of all NICE guidance can be found on the NICE web site at: www.nice.org.uk
In the meantime, guidance issued in August 1999 to all National Health Service bodies asked them 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 the relevant factors including the available evidence on the clinical effectiveness of the treatment.