Mike Freer

As part of the government response to the 2014 International Development Committee inquiry, DFID is committed to developing a framework for UK support to health systems strengthening in developing countries. DFID is working on the framework, consulting the Department of Health and other UK institutions. DFID is due to update the Committee on progress with a response in November 2015.

DFID has supported some of the best research on infectious diseases. Recent examples include a new diagnostic for sleeping sickness, a new vaccine for rotavirus diarrhoea and a new drug for treating malaria in children. Globally, there is a lack of investment in research and development for infectious diseases. This includes diagnostics, drugs, vaccines, and research to improve the delivery of health services. DFID is the second largest Government funder of product development research.

The new Government made a manifesto commitment to lead a major new programme to develop drugs for the world’s deadliest diseases. DFID is currently working on a strategy to deliver on this commitment.

The UK was awarded its seat on the Board of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria in March 2015. The UK priority is to ensure that the Global Fund is able to deliver against our shared ambition of ending the three diseases as epidemics.

In 2014 DFID, with the Department of Health and the National Health Service (NHS), produced the Framework for Voluntary Engagement in Global Health to explain to health sector organisations how they can most effectively support volunteers engaged in health work in developing countries. As part of its support for volunteering, DFID is providing £30 million from 2011 to 2017 for the Health Partnerships Scheme which uses the skills of UK health professionals to train, mentor and coach their developing country counterparts in their home countries. DFID also provides support to the non-governmental organisations VSO and UK-Med which facilitate skilled health professionals volunteering overseas.

The Manifesto commitment was made to respond to the urgent need for research to develop new health products for infectious diseases. There is insufficient funding globally available for the development of new drugs and vaccines for neglected diseases and resistance to essential drugs is a growing problem globally. DFID is currently working on a strategy to deliver on this commitment.

The UK Government has a strong track record of supporting successful product development research, through public-private Product Development Partnerships (PDPs). In the last ten years, DFID-supported PDPs have developed 11 new drugs, 2 new vaccines and 6 new diagnostic tests. Success is judged not only by cost-effective development of the products but also by ensuring that they are affordable and made available to the poorest in low and middle income countries.

In November 2015, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), the expert body that advises the Government on all immunisation matters, advised that a targeted human papillomavirus vaccination programme should be undertaken for men who have sex with men up to 45 years of age who attend genitourinary medicine and HIV clinics. They noted that this should be subject to procurement of the vaccine and delivery of the programme at a cost-effective price.

JCVI acknowledged that finding a way to implement its advice would be challenging and made clear that work was needed by DH and others to consider commissioning and delivery routes for this programme. This work is already underway and we will announce our plans as soon as we can.

The Department’s Framework for Sexual Health Improvement in England (2013) addresses HIV prevention as part of wider action to improve sexual health and modernise sexual health services. It sets out the evidence base for sexual health improvement, including for people at risk of HIV. In addition, Public Health England (PHE) is currently consulting on its Health Promotion Strategic Plan for Sexual and Reproductive Health and HIV. This will complement the Department’s Framework and PHE expect to publish their strategic plan later this year.

We will shortly publish a consultation on how best to implement these savings in ways that minimise any impact on services.

Spending decisions on particular services, such as sexual health services, will remain for local authorities to make in the light of their local priorities. They are best placed to assess local needs and prioritise the deployment of their available resources accordingly.

We will shortly publish a consultation on how best to implement these savings in ways that minimise any impact on services.

Spending decisions on particular services, such as sexual health services, will remain for local authorities to make in the light of their local priorities. They are best placed to assess local needs and prioritise the deployment of their available resources accordingly.

It is the role of the independent expert body, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), to provide advice on vaccination programmes following consideration of evidence, including on the cost effectiveness of immunisation strategies.

In June 2015 the JCVI human papillomavirus (HPV) subcommittee met to consider a revised impact and cost effectiveness assessment by Public Health England on a targeted HPV vaccination programme for men who have sex with men (MSM). This revised consideration took into account comments from an independent peer review and a stakeholder consultation. The results of a small pilot study (unpublished) that was conducted in North West London on the feasibility and acceptability of a vaccination programme for MSM were also used to inform the revised assessment.

The JCVI is due to consider the results of the HPV Subcommittee meeting at its October 2015 meeting, when it is anticipated that the Committee will be in a position to finalise its advice to the Department on an HPV vaccination programme for MSM.

The Government is advised on all immunisation matters by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). The JCVI is considering the potential extension of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination programme to include adolescent boys and men who have sex with men (MSM).

Following provisional advice issued by the JCVI last year that the HPV vaccine should be offered to MSM aged 16-40 years attending Genito-Urinary Medicine and HIV clinics, if it can be delivered at a cost effective price, the JCVI hopes to consider further evidence on this later this year. A final statement will be issued by the JCVI following the completion of the work and the development of its final advice.

The JCVI’s advice on a vaccination programme for boys will take into account Public Health England modelling work on the impact and cost-effectiveness of such a programme. This is a complex piece of work and the JCVI may not be in a position to provide final advice until 2017.

We look forward to receiving the JCVI’s final advice on these important issues in due course.

The Government is advised on all immunisation matters by the independent expert body, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). At its February 2015 meeting, the JCVI endorsed the view of its human papilloma virus (HPV) Sub-committee. This was that, in response to the results of the stakeholder consultation it conducted on its provisional advice on HPV vaccination for men who have sex with men (MSM), and before giving its final advice, it should wait for Public Health England’s (PHE) modelling team to incorporate all the necessary changes and sensitivity analyses agreed following the consultation and the peer review.

PHE estimates that this additional work would take several months, meaning the JCVI may not be in a position to re-consider its position until its meeting in October 2015. A final statement will be issued by the JCVI following the completion of these additional analyses and the development of a final position by the Committee.

There are two north London genito-urinary medicine (GUM) clinics that have trialled offering HPV vaccination for MSM (initially those under 28 years old) since November 2012, and which now offer vaccination as an ongoing service. This work has measured the uptake and acceptability of HPV vaccination and observed the effect on other sexual health outcomes in this population. Findings to date have demonstrated high uptake rates for the vaccine and will be considered by the JCVI.

We are doing preliminary work with stakeholders to assess likely uptake and budgetary implications in anticipation of JCVI’s final advice.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), the independent expert body that advises the Government on all immunisation matters agreed at its October 2014 meeting that further consultation was needed with stakeholders before finalising its advice to Ministers on the human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccination of men who have sex with men (MSM). It held a stakeholder consultation between 12 November and 7 January and we understand that JCVI considered the outcome of the consultation at its meeting on 4 February 2015, as it reviewed its provisional advice on MSM.

Any implementation of a HPV vaccination programme for MSM will be dependent on JCVI’s final advice. As JCVI is an independent body, we do not know exactly when it will issue its final advice on HPV vaccination of MSM, but work is ongoing within the Department to consider the provisional advice.

I will attend a Terrence Higgins Trust event on 24 November and I am hosting an event for Wandsworth Oasis, an HIV charity serving my constituency on 27 November. I will also be attending the European Union Health Council on 1 December, and will raise the issue with ministerial colleagues. Other Ministerial plans are still to be finalised.

This information is not collected. In 2012-13, the National Health Service in England spent an estimated £630 million on HIV services, including treatment. Approximately 60,721 people in England received NHS HIV treatment and care services in 2012.

The usual practice of the Department's National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) is not to allocate funds for expenditure on particular topics: research proposals in all areas compete for the funding available.

The NIHR funds a wide range of research relating to infection, antibiotics and antimicrobial resistance (AMR). This includes over £4.9 million invested annually in translational research in infection in its Biomedical Research Centres, in addition to research funded through the Health Technology Assessment programme and Programme Grants for Applied Research.

Two new NIHR Health Protection Research Units focusing on healthcare associated infections and AMR will receive total funding of £7.4 million over five years. These units are partnerships between universities and Public Health England.

The NIHR is also running a themed call on AMR research across eight different funding programmes. Successful research bids will be announced between summer 2014 and spring 2015.