Asked by: Lord Kinnock (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to increase access to biologic medicines for people with asthma and chronic pulmonary obstructive disease.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
There is currently a total of 21,654 people with severe asthma receiving a biologic for severe asthma in England. The number of people receiving a biologic is based on the number of requests received in the last 12 months, from June 2025 to May 2026, for either new initiation or continuation of asthma biologic treatment. The following table shows a breakdown of the asthma figures by integrated care board (ICB):
Region | Integrated care board | Patient count |
East of England | NHS Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes ICB | 236 |
NHS Cambridgeshire and Peterborough ICB | 305 | |
NHS Hertfordshire and West Essex ICB | 412 | |
NHS Mid and South Essex ICB | 285 | |
NHS Norfolk and Waveney ICB | 301 | |
NHS Suffolk and North East Essex ICB | 235 | |
London | NHS North Central London ICB | 345 |
NHS North East London ICB | 453 | |
NHS North West London ICB | 512 | |
NHS South East London ICB | 750 | |
NHS South West London ICB | 467 | |
Midlands | NHS Birmingham and Solihull ICB | 593 |
NHS Black Country ICB | 488 | |
NHS Coventry and Warwickshire ICB | 215 | |
NHS Derby and Derbyshire ICB | 620 | |
NHS Herefordshire and Worcestershire ICB | 247 | |
NHS Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland ICB | 475 | |
NHS Lincolnshire ICB | 233 | |
NHS Northamptonshire ICB | 256 | |
NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire ICB | 519 | |
NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin ICB | 127 | |
NHS Staffordshire and Stoke-On-Trent ICB | 551 | |
North East and Yorkshire | NHS Humber and North Yorkshire ICB | 360 |
NHS North East and North Cumbria ICB | 1,351 | |
NHS South Yorkshire ICB | 543 | |
NHS West Yorkshire ICB | 719 | |
North West | NHS Cheshire and Merseyside ICB | 1,434 |
NHS Greater Manchester ICB | 1,225 | |
NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB | 670 | |
South East | NHS Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West ICB | 969 |
NHS Frimley ICB | 172 | |
NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight ICB | 1,271 | |
NHS Kent and Medway ICB | 410 | |
NHS Surrey Heartlands ICB | 323 | |
NHS Sussex ICB | 545 | |
South West | NHS Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire ICB | 366 |
NHS Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire ICB | 532 | |
NHS Cornwall and The Isles of Scilly ICB | 292 | |
NHS Devon ICB | 707 | |
NHS Dorset ICB | 381 | |
NHS Gloucestershire ICB | 356 | |
NHS Somerset ICB | 403 |
In addition, the following table shows a breakdown of the asthma figures by region:
Region | Patient count |
East of England | 1,774 |
London | 2,527 |
Midlands | 4,324 |
North East and Yorkshire | 2,973 |
North West | 3,329 |
South East | 3,690 |
South West | 3,037 |
Data relating to chronic pulmonary obstructive disease is (COPD) not held. However, through the £10 million Respiratory Transformation Partnership, launched in March, the Government is working with NHS England, the Health Innovation Network, industry, and third sector partners to improve care across asthma and COPD pathways. This includes earlier diagnosis, better long-term management, and pathway redesign to support more consistent uptake of biologic medicines.
Asked by: Lord Kinnock (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of regional variation in England in access to, and take up of, biologic medicines for people with (1) severe asthma, and (2) chronic pulmonary obstructive disease.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
There is currently a total of 21,654 people with severe asthma receiving a biologic for severe asthma in England. The number of people receiving a biologic is based on the number of requests received in the last 12 months, from June 2025 to May 2026, for either new initiation or continuation of asthma biologic treatment. The following table shows a breakdown of the asthma figures by integrated care board (ICB):
Region | Integrated care board | Patient count |
East of England | NHS Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes ICB | 236 |
NHS Cambridgeshire and Peterborough ICB | 305 | |
NHS Hertfordshire and West Essex ICB | 412 | |
NHS Mid and South Essex ICB | 285 | |
NHS Norfolk and Waveney ICB | 301 | |
NHS Suffolk and North East Essex ICB | 235 | |
London | NHS North Central London ICB | 345 |
NHS North East London ICB | 453 | |
NHS North West London ICB | 512 | |
NHS South East London ICB | 750 | |
NHS South West London ICB | 467 | |
Midlands | NHS Birmingham and Solihull ICB | 593 |
NHS Black Country ICB | 488 | |
NHS Coventry and Warwickshire ICB | 215 | |
NHS Derby and Derbyshire ICB | 620 | |
NHS Herefordshire and Worcestershire ICB | 247 | |
NHS Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland ICB | 475 | |
NHS Lincolnshire ICB | 233 | |
NHS Northamptonshire ICB | 256 | |
NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire ICB | 519 | |
NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin ICB | 127 | |
NHS Staffordshire and Stoke-On-Trent ICB | 551 | |
North East and Yorkshire | NHS Humber and North Yorkshire ICB | 360 |
NHS North East and North Cumbria ICB | 1,351 | |
NHS South Yorkshire ICB | 543 | |
NHS West Yorkshire ICB | 719 | |
North West | NHS Cheshire and Merseyside ICB | 1,434 |
NHS Greater Manchester ICB | 1,225 | |
NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB | 670 | |
South East | NHS Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West ICB | 969 |
NHS Frimley ICB | 172 | |
NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight ICB | 1,271 | |
NHS Kent and Medway ICB | 410 | |
NHS Surrey Heartlands ICB | 323 | |
NHS Sussex ICB | 545 | |
South West | NHS Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire ICB | 366 |
NHS Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire ICB | 532 | |
NHS Cornwall and The Isles of Scilly ICB | 292 | |
NHS Devon ICB | 707 | |
NHS Dorset ICB | 381 | |
NHS Gloucestershire ICB | 356 | |
NHS Somerset ICB | 403 |
In addition, the following table shows a breakdown of the asthma figures by region:
Region | Patient count |
East of England | 1,774 |
London | 2,527 |
Midlands | 4,324 |
North East and Yorkshire | 2,973 |
North West | 3,329 |
South East | 3,690 |
South West | 3,037 |
Data relating to chronic pulmonary obstructive disease is (COPD) not held. However, through the £10 million Respiratory Transformation Partnership, launched in March, the Government is working with NHS England, the Health Innovation Network, industry, and third sector partners to improve care across asthma and COPD pathways. This includes earlier diagnosis, better long-term management, and pathway redesign to support more consistent uptake of biologic medicines.
Asked by: Lord Kinnock (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many people with (1) severe asthma, and (2) chronic pulmonary obstructive disease, are currently prescribed biologic medicines in England, with figures for each integrated care board and NHS region.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
There is currently a total of 21,654 people with severe asthma receiving a biologic for severe asthma in England. The number of people receiving a biologic is based on the number of requests received in the last 12 months, from June 2025 to May 2026, for either new initiation or continuation of asthma biologic treatment. The following table shows a breakdown of the asthma figures by integrated care board (ICB):
Region | Integrated care board | Patient count |
East of England | NHS Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes ICB | 236 |
NHS Cambridgeshire and Peterborough ICB | 305 | |
NHS Hertfordshire and West Essex ICB | 412 | |
NHS Mid and South Essex ICB | 285 | |
NHS Norfolk and Waveney ICB | 301 | |
NHS Suffolk and North East Essex ICB | 235 | |
London | NHS North Central London ICB | 345 |
NHS North East London ICB | 453 | |
NHS North West London ICB | 512 | |
NHS South East London ICB | 750 | |
NHS South West London ICB | 467 | |
Midlands | NHS Birmingham and Solihull ICB | 593 |
NHS Black Country ICB | 488 | |
NHS Coventry and Warwickshire ICB | 215 | |
NHS Derby and Derbyshire ICB | 620 | |
NHS Herefordshire and Worcestershire ICB | 247 | |
NHS Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland ICB | 475 | |
NHS Lincolnshire ICB | 233 | |
NHS Northamptonshire ICB | 256 | |
NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire ICB | 519 | |
NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin ICB | 127 | |
NHS Staffordshire and Stoke-On-Trent ICB | 551 | |
North East and Yorkshire | NHS Humber and North Yorkshire ICB | 360 |
NHS North East and North Cumbria ICB | 1,351 | |
NHS South Yorkshire ICB | 543 | |
NHS West Yorkshire ICB | 719 | |
North West | NHS Cheshire and Merseyside ICB | 1,434 |
NHS Greater Manchester ICB | 1,225 | |
NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB | 670 | |
South East | NHS Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West ICB | 969 |
NHS Frimley ICB | 172 | |
NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight ICB | 1,271 | |
NHS Kent and Medway ICB | 410 | |
NHS Surrey Heartlands ICB | 323 | |
NHS Sussex ICB | 545 | |
South West | NHS Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire ICB | 366 |
NHS Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire ICB | 532 | |
NHS Cornwall and The Isles of Scilly ICB | 292 | |
NHS Devon ICB | 707 | |
NHS Dorset ICB | 381 | |
NHS Gloucestershire ICB | 356 | |
NHS Somerset ICB | 403 |
In addition, the following table shows a breakdown of the asthma figures by region:
Region | Patient count |
East of England | 1,774 |
London | 2,527 |
Midlands | 4,324 |
North East and Yorkshire | 2,973 |
North West | 3,329 |
South East | 3,690 |
South West | 3,037 |
Data relating to chronic pulmonary obstructive disease is (COPD) not held. However, through the £10 million Respiratory Transformation Partnership, launched in March, the Government is working with NHS England, the Health Innovation Network, industry, and third sector partners to improve care across asthma and COPD pathways. This includes earlier diagnosis, better long-term management, and pathway redesign to support more consistent uptake of biologic medicines.
Asked by: Lord Kinnock (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the speech by the Foreign Secretary on 14 February, which provisions in the current regulatory framework of the EU inhibit the development of new stem cell technology in the UK.
Answered by Lord O'Shaughnessy
Provisions in the current regulatory framework of the European Union do not specifically inhibit our present requirements for the development of new stem cell technology.
The United Kingdom and the EU start from a position of close regulatory alignment. As part of exit negotiations, the UK Government will discuss with the EU and Member States on how best to continue cooperation in the field of research, including clinical trials, medicines and medical devices, and data sharing, to ensure patient safety and public health.
As my Rt. hon. Friend the Prime Minister stated in her speech on our future economic partnership with the European Union last Friday, the UK will need to make a strong commitment that its regulatory standards will remain as high as the EU’s. That commitment, in practice, will mean that UK and EU regulatory standards will remain substantially similar in the future. Our default is that UK law may not necessarily be identical to EU law, but it should achieve the same outcomes.
As my Rt. hon. Friends the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy have stated previously, we have three principles which will help us rise to the challenge of developing a new regulatory system post Brexit:
- patients should not be disadvantaged;
- innovators should be able to get their products into the UK market as quickly and simply as possible; and
- the UK continues to play a leading role promoting public health.
Asked by: Lord Kinnock (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government why adult sufferers from sickle cell anaemia who could benefit from stem cell treatment are not able to receive such treatment under the NHS when child sufferers can; and whether they are considering changing this policy.
Answered by Lord O'Shaughnessy
Decisions related to the provision of stem cell transplantation are an operational matter for NHS England. Stem cell transplants for sickle cell disease in adults are not routinely commissioned by NHS England. Whilst stem cell transplants can be effective for some carefully selected patients, stem cell transplantation can also lead to a number of complications, some of which can be severe and life threatening.
NHS England commissioning policy for stem cell transplants is kept under review in the light of the latest clinical evidence. The National Institute for Health Research is currently inviting research proposals for a multicentre randomised control trial to address the clinical and cost effectiveness of stem cell transplantation in adults with severe sickle cell disease. Evidence from this trial will inform NHS England commissioning policy related to stem cell transplants in adults with sickle cell disease.