Hepatitis: Ethnic Groups

(asked on 20th July 2015) - View Source

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that patients from the South Asian community are able to benefit fully from new treatments made available through NHS England's hepatitis C commissioning policy.


Answered by
 Portrait
Jane Ellison
This question was answered on 10th September 2015

NHS England has made new therapies available, as part of an early access scheme, for treatment of hepatitis C in patients who have been confirmed as having liver cirrhosis. All patients meeting the clinical criteria – including those from the South Asian community – will now have access to these treatments.

The new therapies available are described in the policy “Clinical Commissioning Policy Statement: Treatment of chronic Hepatitis C in patients with cirrhosis” which has been published on the NHS England website and can be accessed via this link:

http://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/spec-services/npc-crg/blood-and-infection-group-f/f04/

A number of drugs are being made available to eligible patients in advance of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence technology appraisals which otherwise would mean patients with cirrhosis waiting longer for access to these treatments.

Reticulating Splines