Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has taken recent steps to help increase (a) public and (b) private research into treatments for (i) arthritis and (ii) musculoskeletal conditions.

The Department, through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), has awarded more than £100 million in funding and support for musculoskeletal conditions and arthritis research in the last five years.

The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including research into musculoskeletal conditions and arthritis. 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. Therefore, future spend on arthritis and musculoskeletal research is undetermined.

In 2021/22 alone, NIHR infrastructure has supported over 900 studies and trials into musculoskeletal conditions. Six of the NIHR Biomedical Research Centres (BRCs) have musculoskeletal disorders as a research theme. For example, the Leeds BRC aims to improve treatment for osteoarthritis and to prevent disease and disability in immune-mediated diseases; this includes a work stream on non-surgical treatments for osteoarthritis. NIHR, in collaboration with Versus Arthritis, also funds a dedicated UK Musculoskeletal Translational Research Collaboration (UK MSK TRC). The UK MSK TRC aligns investment in musculoskeletal translational research, creating a United Kingdom-wide ambition and focus to drive cutting-edge translational research, in order to improve outcomes for patients.