HC Deb 07 September 2004 vol 424 cc1073-4W
Tim Loughton

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospital accident and emergency departments(a) stock both animal and human insulin and (b) inquire whether the diabetes patient has a preference for one or the other. [187051]

Ms Rosie Winterton

This information is not collected centrally.

Tim Loughton

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidelines are in place at primary care level to offer diabetes patients a choice between animal and human insulin(a) at first diagnosis of diabetes and (b) on occurrence of the patient suffering from side effects of animal or human insulin [187055]

Ms Rosie Winterton

The National Institute for Clinical Excellence issued advice in 2002 on the management of blood glucose in type 2 diabetes and the management of type 1 diabetes in children, young people and adults, issued in 2004. 1 his advice states that patient preference should form part of the choice of insulin type and regimen.

Tim Loughton

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost is to the general practitioner of a patient being prescribed(a) animal and (b) human insulin. [187056]

Ms Rosie Winterton

The cost of prescribing insulin is not direct to general practitioners, as all prescribing is funded from the unified budgets of primary care trusts.

Keith Vaz

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many meetings he has had with his EU counterparts to discuss co-operation on research on diabetes. [186626]

Ms Rosie Winterton

None. However, the Department, with the Medical Research Council and the Wellcome Trust is funding a pan-European study on diabetes. The ADDITION study is a population-based screening study for undiagnosed Type 2 diabetes and is taking place in Denmark, the Netherlands, Cambridge and surrounding counties and Leicester.