Asked by: Patricia Gibson (Scottish National Party - North Ayrshire and Arran)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress her Department has made on tackling shortages and disruption to supplies of liraglutide for patients with type 2 diabetes.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Following intensive work with industry, the broad supply position for glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) in the United Kingdom has improved. However, global supply issues remain with specific medicines, including Victoza (liraglutide). We issued updated guidance to healthcare professionals in the form of a National Patient Safety Alert on the 3 January 2024 on how to manage patients requiring these medicines, with input from expert clinicians. We continue to work closely with manufacturers and others working in the supply chain to help ensure the continued supply of GLP-1 RAs for UK patients, and to resolve the remaining supply issues as quickly as possible, for example by asking suppliers to expedite deliveries.
We know how distressing and frustrating medicine supply issues can be, and the Department will continue to help ensure that these critical medicines reach diabetes patients. If any patient is concerned about their treatment, they should discuss this with their clinician at the earliest opportunity.
Asked by: Patricia Gibson (Scottish National Party - North Ayrshire and Arran)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has had recent discussions with relevant stakeholders on the supply of Liraglutide to the NHS.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are aware of global supply issues with glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists (RAs), which are licensed for treating patients with type 2 diabetes. This includes liraglutide. We have issued guidance in the form of a Medicine Supply Notification, addressing all GLP-1 RAs advising healthcare professionals on how to manage patients requiring these medicines. Further guidance has been issued through a National Patient Safety Alert which provides further background and clinical information and actions for providers.
Our guidance is clear that GLP-1 RA medicines that are solely licensed to treattype 2 diabetes should only be used for that purpose and should not be routinely prescribed for weight loss.
The General Pharmaceutical Council, General Medical Council, Health and Care Professions Council, Nursing and Midwifery Council and Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland have also issued a joint statement stressing the importance of health and care professionals meeting regulatory standards in relation to these medicines. We have also added some of these products to the list of medicines that cannot be exported from, or hoarded in, the United Kingdom.
We are continuing to work closely with manufacturers and others working in the supply chain to help ensure the continued supply of these medicines for UK patients, for example by asking suppliers to expedite deliveries.
Asked by: Patricia Gibson (Scottish National Party - North Ayrshire and Arran)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to help secure the supply of Liraglutide for the NHS.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are aware of global supply issues with glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists (RAs), which are licensed for treating patients with type 2 diabetes. This includes liraglutide. We have issued guidance in the form of a Medicine Supply Notification, addressing all GLP-1 RAs advising healthcare professionals on how to manage patients requiring these medicines. Further guidance has been issued through a National Patient Safety Alert which provides further background and clinical information and actions for providers.
Our guidance is clear that GLP-1 RA medicines that are solely licensed to treattype 2 diabetes should only be used for that purpose and should not be routinely prescribed for weight loss.
The General Pharmaceutical Council, General Medical Council, Health and Care Professions Council, Nursing and Midwifery Council and Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland have also issued a joint statement stressing the importance of health and care professionals meeting regulatory standards in relation to these medicines. We have also added some of these products to the list of medicines that cannot be exported from, or hoarded in, the United Kingdom.
We are continuing to work closely with manufacturers and others working in the supply chain to help ensure the continued supply of these medicines for UK patients, for example by asking suppliers to expedite deliveries.
Asked by: Patricia Gibson (Scottish National Party - North Ayrshire and Arran)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to secure the supply of lisdexampfetamine.
Answered by Will Quince
We are aware of supply issues affecting medicines used for the management of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), including lisdexamfetamine. We have issued communications, in the form of a National Patient Safety Alert, to the National Health Service to advise healthcare professionals on management of patients during this time. We continue to work closely with manufacturers to resolve the issues as soon as possible and to ensure patients have continuous access to ADHD medicines in the United Kingdom.
The shortage of lisdexamfetamine capsules is not confined to the UK, it is a global issue and other markets are affected. We have added ADHD products, including lisdexamfetamine, to the export restriction list to protect available supplies for UK patients. We anticipate that the supply disruption will resolve at various dates between October and December 2023.
Asked by: Patricia Gibson (Scottish National Party - North Ayrshire and Arran)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had on ensuring the supply of lisdexamfetamine.
Answered by Will Quince
We are aware of supply issues affecting medicines used for the management of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), including lisdexamfetamine. We have issued communications, in the form of a National Patient Safety Alert, to the National Health Service to advise healthcare professionals on management of patients during this time. We continue to work closely with manufacturers to resolve the issues as soon as possible and to ensure patients have continuous access to ADHD medicines in the United Kingdom.
The shortage of lisdexamfetamine capsules is not confined to the UK, it is a global issue and other markets are affected. We have added ADHD products, including lisdexamfetamine, to the export restriction list to protect available supplies for UK patients. We anticipate that the supply disruption will resolve at various dates between October and December 2023.
Asked by: Patricia Gibson (Scottish National Party - North Ayrshire and Arran)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department provides funding to research (a) understanding and (b) treatment of Lewy Body dementia.
Answered by Will Quince
The Government is strongly committed to supporting research into dementia. In 2019 we committed to double funding for dementia research. We will double funding for dementia research to £160 million per year by 2024/25. The Department funds research via the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and has provided funding to research which seeks to increase understanding and treatment of Lewy Body dementia. For example, NIHR Programmes spent almost £1.8 million on research in this remit over the past five years. NIHR infrastructure is dedicated to supporting research across all disease and therapy areas, including research into Lewy Body dementia, funded by public funders, medical research charities and the life sciences industry.
Examples of projects funded by the NIHR include the £1.6 million COBALT study which investigates whether adding the drug Memantine to existing medications (acetylcholinesterase inhibitors) improves overall health and function for people with Lewy Body dementia and Parkinson’s disease dementia.
Through an NIHR-funded project, DIAMOND-Lewy, researchers from Newcastle University and University of Cambridge have created a Management Toolkit for better diagnosis and disease management of Lewy Body dementia. The guide is designed to be used by practitioners to facilitate the detection of Lewy Body dementia in patients.
Asked by: Patricia Gibson (Scottish National Party - North Ayrshire and Arran)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the implications for his policies of the report by Global Justice Now, Stopaids and Just Treatment entitled Bitter Pills published on 12 July 2023.
Answered by Will Quince
The United Kingdom has well established systems for controlling costs and ensuring we get value for money for spending on medicines. The UK’s system is seen as world-leading, due in large part to the role of the National Health Service as a single buyer providing access to the vast majority of the UK market. However, the Department does not recognise the specific methodology used in this report.
The 2019 voluntary scheme for branded medicines pricing and access is expected to generate around £7 billion in income for the NHS over five years, while also supporting access to and uptake of the most clinically and cost-effective medicines.
Negotiations are ongoing to agree a new voluntary scheme which should continue to support patients, the economy and the affordability of medicines to the NHS.
Asked by: Patricia Gibson (Scottish National Party - North Ayrshire and Arran)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of reviewing the effectiveness of regulatory measures on the use of medicines (a) developed and (b) produced with public funding.
Answered by Will Quince
The Department is confident in the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency’s (MHRA) world-leading regulatory regime, for publicly funded medicines and others. There are no current plans for a review of regulatory measures on the use of medicines developed and produced with public funding.
Asked by: Patricia Gibson (Scottish National Party - North Ayrshire and Arran)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what additional funding his Department has provided for research into cardiac risk in young adults in the last 12 months.
Answered by Will Quince
The Department commissions research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including cardiac risk in young adults. It is not usual practice to ring-fence funds for particular topics or conditions. Applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality.
Asked by: Patricia Gibson (Scottish National Party - North Ayrshire and Arran)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the UK Commission on Bereavement's report entitled bereavement is everybody's business published in 2022, what steps the Government is taking to improve its support for bereaved people.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government has established a cross-Government bereavement working group and is committed to working with the voluntary sector, including the UK Commission on Bereavement, to assess how further support can be provided to those who have been bereaved. We are also working with the National Institute of Health and Care Research on research into the barriers that prevent minority ethnicity groups from accessing bereavement services. We expect the findings of this research in 2024.
In addition, NHS England have developed statutory guidance to support integrated care boards in their duty to commission palliative care services within integrated care systems which states that commissioners should ensure there is sufficient access to bereavement services.