Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to fund research into treatment for vitiligo.

The Department funds 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 vitiligo. All research proposals compete for available funding. Applications undergo peer review and are judged based on their importance to patients and health services, value for money, and scientific quality. Funding in any disease area depends on the volume and quality of scientific activity. The NIHR has funded research on various aspects of skin diseases, including specifically on vitiligo home interventions, light therapy, ruxolitinib treatment, and the quality of vitiligo randomised controlled trials. The NIHR has also analysed research evidence on the use of ruxolitinib for treating vitiligo as part of an ongoing National Institute for Health and Care Excellence technology appraisal.