Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to increase research funding in order to find more effective treatments and a cure for fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva.

The Department funds research into rare diseases such as fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP) via the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). In the past five years, the Department has provided funding to support eight studies into FOP through the NIHR. Within the NIHR, for all disease areas, the amount of funding depends on the volume and quality of scientific activity and the usual practice is not to ring-fence funds for particular topics.

The UK Rare Diseases Framework, published in January 2021, outlined a vision for improving the lives of those with rare diseases, such as FOP, including a focus on pioneering research. Action plans setting out further details on this research will be published by each of the four United Kingdom nations within two years. A copy of the Framework is attached.