HC Deb 08 September 2003 vol 410 c192W
Mr. Burns

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the drug Fuzeon. [127433]

Miss Melanie Johnson

On 27 May 2003, the European Commission issued a Marketing Authorisation valid throughout the European Union for the medicinal product Fuzeon, which contains enfuvirtide. The approved indication isin combination with other antiretroviral medicinal products for the treatment of HIV-1 infected patients who have received treatment with and failed on regimens containing at least one medicinal product from each of the following antiretroviral classes: protease inhibitors, non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors and nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors, or who have intolerance to previous antiretroviral regimens. In deciding on a new regimen for patients who have failed an antiretroviral regimen, careful consideration should be given to the treatment history of the individual and the patterns of mutations associated with different medicinal products. Where available, resistance testing may be appropriate.