Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the development of Bacteriophage Therapy, and when he expects such treatments to be available for use across the NHS.

The Government recognises the potential of bacteriophage therapy as an emerging treatment for certain bacterial infections, particularly where antimicrobial resistance limits available treatment options. However, while early research and clinical use in individual cases are promising, the current evidence base and overall development landscape remain insufficient to support routine use across the National Health Service.

Bacteriophage therapy is not currently licensed as a medicinal product in the United Kingdom. Where clinicians consider it to be in the best interests of an individual patient, access may be considered on an unlicensed basis through established NHS local governance arrangements, in line with relevant regulatory requirements.