Asked by: Mike Freer (Conservative - Finchley and Golders Green)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will trial the HPV vaccination programme for men who have sex with men in selected sexual health clinics to assess likely take up and budgetary implications.
Answered by Jane Ellison
The Government is advised on all immunisation matters by the independent expert body, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). At its February 2015 meeting, the JCVI endorsed the view of its human papilloma virus (HPV) Sub-committee. This was that, in response to the results of the stakeholder consultation it conducted on its provisional advice on HPV vaccination for men who have sex with men (MSM), and before giving its final advice, it should wait for Public Health England’s (PHE) modelling team to incorporate all the necessary changes and sensitivity analyses agreed following the consultation and the peer review.
PHE estimates that this additional work would take several months, meaning the JCVI may not be in a position to re-consider its position until its meeting in October 2015. A final statement will be issued by the JCVI following the completion of these additional analyses and the development of a final position by the Committee.
There are two north London genito-urinary medicine (GUM) clinics that have trialled offering HPV vaccination for MSM (initially those under 28 years old) since November 2012, and which now offer vaccination as an ongoing service. This work has measured the uptake and acceptability of HPV vaccination and observed the effect on other sexual health outcomes in this population. Findings to date have demonstrated high uptake rates for the vaccine and will be considered by the JCVI.
We are doing preliminary work with stakeholders to assess likely uptake and budgetary implications in anticipation of JCVI’s final advice.
Asked by: Mike Freer (Conservative - Finchley and Golders Green)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he expects to receive the final advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation on the HPV vaccination programme for men who have sex with men.
Answered by Jane Ellison
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), the independent expert body that advises the Government on all immunisation matters agreed at its October 2014 meeting that further consultation was needed with stakeholders before finalising its advice to Ministers on the human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccination of men who have sex with men (MSM). It held a stakeholder consultation between 12 November and 7 January and we understand that JCVI considered the outcome of the consultation at its meeting on 4 February 2015, as it reviewed its provisional advice on MSM.
Any implementation of a HPV vaccination programme for MSM will be dependent on JCVI’s final advice. As JCVI is an independent body, we do not know exactly when it will issue its final advice on HPV vaccination of MSM, but work is ongoing within the Department to consider the provisional advice.
Asked by: Mike Freer (Conservative - Finchley and Golders Green)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when the HPV vaccination programme for men who have sex with men will commence; and whether a delivery partner has been secured for that programme.
Answered by Jane Ellison
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), the independent expert body that advises the Government on all immunisation matters, agreed at its October meeting that further consultation was needed with stakeholders before finalising its advice to ministers on the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination of men who have sex with men (MSM). It held a stakeholder consultation between 12 November and 7 January and we understand that the JCVI considered the outcome of the consultation at its meeting on 4 February 2015, as it reviewed its provisional advice on MSM. Any implementation of an HPV MSM vaccination programme and securing a delivery partner will be dependent on the JCVI’s final advice. We look forward to receiving the JCVI’s final advice in due course.Asked by: Mike Freer (Conservative - Finchley and Golders Green)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what events he and his ministerial team are supporting on World AIDS Day.
Answered by Jane Ellison
I will attend a Terrence Higgins Trust event on 24 November and I am hosting an event for Wandsworth Oasis, an HIV charity serving my constituency on 27 November. I will also be attending the European Union Health Council on 1 December, and will raise the issue with ministerial colleagues. Other Ministerial plans are still to be finalised.
Asked by: Mike Freer (Conservative - Finchley and Golders Green)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the cost per patient was of antiretroviral therapy for HIV in the latest year for which figures are available.
Answered by Jane Ellison
This information is not collected. In 2012-13, the National Health Service in England spent an estimated £630 million on HIV services, including treatment. Approximately 60,721 people in England received NHS HIV treatment and care services in 2012.
Asked by: Mike Freer (Conservative - Finchley and Golders Green)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much funding his Department has allocated for antibiotic related research in each of the last five years.
Answered by Dan Poulter
The usual practice of the Department's National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) is not to allocate funds for expenditure on particular topics: research proposals in all areas compete for the funding available.
The NIHR funds a wide range of research relating to infection, antibiotics and antimicrobial resistance (AMR). This includes over £4.9 million invested annually in translational research in infection in its Biomedical Research Centres, in addition to research funded through the Health Technology Assessment programme and Programme Grants for Applied Research.
Two new NIHR Health Protection Research Units focusing on healthcare associated infections and AMR will receive total funding of £7.4 million over five years. These units are partnerships between universities and Public Health England.
The NIHR is also running a themed call on AMR research across eight different funding programmes. Successful research bids will be announced between summer 2014 and spring 2015.