Dementia and Lumbar Puncture

(asked on 17th March 2023) - View Source

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to (a) increase diagnostic capacity for lumbar punctures and (b) prepare services for new dementia treatments following the approval of lecanemab in the USA.


Answered by
Helen Whately Portrait
Helen Whately
Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
This question was answered on 22nd March 2023

No specific assessment has been made. NHS England is currently exploring what pathways, processes and equipment might best support future disease modifying treatments, including for Alzheimer’s disease. Any decision on the potential scale of testing infrastructure to support the administration of Lecanemab will take account of numerous factors including whether Lecanemab is determined by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence to be a clinically and cost-effective National Health Service treatment option.

Reticulating Splines