Health: Multiple Sclerosis

Lord Walton of Detchant Excerpts

Wednesday 2nd February 2011 Lords Chamber

Asked By

[Lord Walton of Detchant]

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to increase the proportion of multiple sclerosis patients who receive disease-modifying drugs.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Earl Howe)]

My Lords, patients with multiple sclerosis can receive treatment with a number of disease-modifying drugs where their clinicians consider they will benefit. More than 12,000 have benefitted from such drugs through the risk-sharing scheme established in 2002. In addition, another drug, Tysabri, has subsequently been licensed for use in the NHS and recommended by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence.

[Lord Walton of Detchant]

My Lords, I thank the noble Earl for that Answer. As he made clear, following the introduction of interferons in the past 20 years, a number of effective drugs have been introduced and have been shown by research to have a beneficial effect upon the course of the disease, particularly in the relapsing and remitting form of the condition. However, is he aware that in the UK only 12 per cent of patients with multiple sclerosis are at present receiving these drugs? A recent report from the Department of Health shows that, in that respect, this country stands 13th out of 14 comparator countries. Surely we can do better.