Written question asked by Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party) on Monday, 24 June 2019, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 26 June 2019. It was answered by Seema Kennedy (Conservative) on Tuesday, 2 July 2019 on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care.

Arthritis: Medical Treatments

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when electrical stimulation for arthritis pain will be available on the NHS.

Answer: We are aware of recent research looking at electrical stimulation of the vagus nerve to treat patients with rheumatoid arthritis. This was a small pilot study of 14 people, and therefore research remains at an early stage. In order to be suitable for routine National Health Service use, larger scale clinical trials demonstrating the safety and efficacy of this treatment approach would need to be undertaken, and assessments of its cost effectiveness would also need to be considered.

Secondary information