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Dept of Health

Answer

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) which NHS trusts make the drug Ebixa available for people with dementia on the NHS; and which do not; [162293] (2) if he will make it his policy to ensure that Ebixa is available, on prescription, to all people suffering from dementia regardless of the NHS trust area in which they live. [162294] Dr. Ladyman: The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) is appraising Memantine (Ebixa) as part of the eighth wave of its work programme. The anticipated publication date of its guidance is May 2005. The Department has asked National Health Service bodies (in HSC 1999/176) to continue with local arrangements for the managed introduction of new technologies, including drugs such as Memantine (Ebixa), where guidance from NICE is not published at the time the technology first became available. These arrangements should involve an assessment of all the available evidence. Information about which NHS trusts are prescribing Memantine (Ebixa) is not collected centrally, but data collected about prescriptions dispensed in the community shows that Memantine (Ebixa) has been prescribed on the NHS in all strategic health authorities.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

419 c593W;419 c595W; 162293;162294

Session

2003-04

Subjects

Dementia Alzheimer's disease Prescription drugs NHS trusts Prescriptions Memantine

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk