Asked by: Lilian Greenwood (Labour - Nottingham South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of (a) the number of cell and gene therapies expected to come to the UK market in the next 10 years and (b) the capacity and infrastructure requirements of advanced therapy treatment centres in (i) Nottingham and (ii) elsewhere in the UK to deliver those treatments.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The Life Sciences Vision and the Life Sciences Industrial Strategy set out an ambition to accelerate the adoption and uptake of cell and gene therapies in the United Kingdom. The Accelerated Access Collaborative’s early stage programme includes advanced therapy medical products (ATMPs).
As part of this programme, the National Institute for Health Research’s Innovation Observatory has undertaken horizon scanning over five years which has identified ATMPs until 2026. The United States Food and Drug Administration anticipates that by 2025, it will approve approximately 10 to 20 cell and gene therapy products per year, which is consistent with horizon scanning estimates provided to the National Health Service.
There are a number of providers which already offer ATMPs in England. To date, no specific assessment has been made for treatment centres in Nottingham. As ATMPs advance in clinical development, NHS England and NHS Improvement will consider how these products could be incorporated into existing clinical pathways. This would include assessments of potential capacity and infrastructure requirements prior to formally commissioning the relevant ATMP service. The capacity and infrastructure requirements of providers to offer ATMPs will depend on the individual products they are commissioned to deliver. Capability to deliver ATMPs is also considered and takes into account expertise in treating the condition which the therapy is intended to treat.
Asked by: Lilian Greenwood (Labour - Nottingham South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to ensure that hearing loss is (a) referenced in the Equalities Impact Assessment accompanying the Health and Care Bill and (b) recognised as a disability within this Assessment.
Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
An equalities impact assessment of the Health and Care Bill’s provisions was undertaken prior to its introduction. The assessment considers the impact on those with protected characteristics, including those with a disability. This assessment is ongoing and is being updated during the passage of the Bill. The analysis forms part of the Public Sector Equality Duty in relation to underlying policy. At the time of planned implementation, the impacts on certain groups of people and those with disabilities can be considered.