Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of Bedrocan cannabis medicines for children suffering from epilepsy.

Clinical guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) state, there is insufficient evidence of safety and effectiveness to support a population-wide practice recommendation for the use of unlicensed cannabis-based products, including Bedrocan products, for the treatment of adults and children with severe treatment-resistant epilepsy. NICE also made recommendations for further research to inform future decisions on the routine prescribing and funding of unlicensed cannabis-based medicines on the National Health Service.

The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) has issued two calls for research proposals and a highlight notice on medicinal cannabis. Manufacturers, including those for Bedrocan products, are responsible for generating evidence to support the use of these products and to seek regulatory approval. The Government encourages manufacturers to do so and offers scientific and research advice from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and the NIHR.