Asked by: Rachel Maclean (Conservative - Redditch)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what medical research the Government has funded into anxiety.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department commissions research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The remit of the NIHR is early translational, that is experimental medicine, clinical and applied health research, and social care research. In 2022/23, the NIHR spent approximately £99 million on research into mental health. In the last 10 years, the NIHR has invested approximately £41.5 million into research specifically focused, or including a focus, on anxiety and/or anxiety disorder. The NIHR is not currently funding any research explicitly focused on ‘bad nerves’. The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including mental health.
Asked by: Giles Watling (Conservative - Clacton)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether she is taking steps to support the growth of the human-specific technology sector.
Answered by Andrew Griffith - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
We look forward to the moment when technology will allow the end of all animal testing. In the meantime, we are committed to supporting the growth of technologies that support human-specific research. The UK has a world leading reputation for the delivery of techniques that replace, reduce and refine the use of animals in research (3Rs).
Asked by: Virginia Crosbie (Conservative - Ynys Môn)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to the Answer of 17 October 2023 to Question 200502 on Clinical Trials, whether she is taking steps to support the pharmaceutical industry in the (a) development and (b) use of human-specific technologies.
Answered by Andrew Griffith - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The government is committed to supporting the growth of technologies that support human-specific research, including stem cell research, cell culture systems, imaging and computer modelling. UK Research & Innovation funds the development of techniques that replace, reduce and refine the use of animals in research (the 3Rs) through the National Centre for 3Rs (NC3Rs). Since it was established the NC3Rs has invested £89.3 million in research and £27 million in contracts through its CRACK IT Challenges scheme, mainly focusing on new approaches for the safety assessment of pharmaceuticals and chemicals that reduce the use of animals.
Asked by: Virginia Crosbie (Conservative - Ynys Môn)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether she is taking steps to support the growth of the human-specific technology sector.
Answered by Andrew Griffith - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The government is committed to supporting the growth of technologies that support human-specific research, including stem cell research, cell culture systems, imaging and computer modelling. The UK has a world leading reputation for the delivery of techniques that replace, reduce and refine the use of animals in research (3Rs). UK Research & Innovation funds the development of techniques that replace, reduce and refine the use of animals in research (the 3Rs) through the National Centre for 3Rs (NC3Rs) which works to drive the uptake of 3Rs technologies.
Asked by: George Howarth (Labour - Knowsley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the press notice entitled Biggest prostate cancer screening trial in decades to start in UK published on 19 November 2023, what assessment her Department has made of the additional workforce capacity that will be required to deliver the trial.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department funds research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). NIHR invests in the research delivery workforce, the facilities and capacity to support clinical trials. The NIHR Clinical Research Facilities and Experimental Cancer Medicine Centres support the delivery of early phase trials and the NIHR Clinical Research Network and Patient Recruitment Centres support delivery and participation in later phase clinical trials. The prostate cancer trial announced on 19 November will be run by Prostate Cancer UK with the Government contributing alongside others.
To maximise research participation, the NIHR provides the online platform ‘Be Part of Research’, which allows users to search for and register their interest in participating in the clinical trials of most interest and relevance to them. NIHR has also supported initiatives to increase diagnosis rates and participation in prostate cancer research by men from black and minority ethnic groups.
The recently announced TRANSFORM trial aims to save thousands of men each year by finding the best way to screen for prostate cancer. The trial will be United Kingdom-wide, although final decisions on specific locations are yet to be taken. Men will be invited to participate via their general practices. This study will also aim to address some of the inequalities that exist in prostate cancer diagnosis today by ensuring that one in 10 of the trial participants will be black men, who are three times overrepresented compared to the population of men aged 45 to 75 as based on 2021 census data.
The UK National Screening Committee will be reviewing the evidence that is published by this study. This will help to inform any future recommendation on creating a national screening programme for prostate cancer.
Asked by: George Howarth (Labour - Knowsley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the press notice entitled Biggest prostate cancer screening trial in decades to start in UK published on 19 November 2023, in which areas will the trial be carried out; and what steps her Department is taking to (a) ensure there is sufficient diagnostics capacity to deliver the additional screening in the trial areas in local areas to deliver increased screening and (b) encourage participation amongst (i) at-risk groups and (ii) black men.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department funds research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). NIHR invests in the research delivery workforce, the facilities and capacity to support clinical trials. The NIHR Clinical Research Facilities and Experimental Cancer Medicine Centres support the delivery of early phase trials and the NIHR Clinical Research Network and Patient Recruitment Centres support delivery and participation in later phase clinical trials. The prostate cancer trial announced on 19 November will be run by Prostate Cancer UK with the Government contributing alongside others.
To maximise research participation, the NIHR provides the online platform ‘Be Part of Research’, which allows users to search for and register their interest in participating in the clinical trials of most interest and relevance to them. NIHR has also supported initiatives to increase diagnosis rates and participation in prostate cancer research by men from black and minority ethnic groups.
The recently announced TRANSFORM trial aims to save thousands of men each year by finding the best way to screen for prostate cancer. The trial will be United Kingdom-wide, although final decisions on specific locations are yet to be taken. Men will be invited to participate via their general practices. This study will also aim to address some of the inequalities that exist in prostate cancer diagnosis today by ensuring that one in 10 of the trial participants will be black men, who are three times overrepresented compared to the population of men aged 45 to 75 as based on 2021 census data.
The UK National Screening Committee will be reviewing the evidence that is published by this study. This will help to inform any future recommendation on creating a national screening programme for prostate cancer.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help reduce the time taken for clinically-proven drugs to be considered for use on the NHS once they are off-patent.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Medicines Repurposing Programme was established in March 2021 by the Department, NHS England, the National Institute for Health Research and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). This seeks to identify new uses for medicines that are outside of the scope of the existing licence for the medicine. This typically involves taking an existing medicine that already has a marketing authorisation or licence for human use for a particular condition, and then using it to treat another condition. It provides a tailored package of support to priority repurposed medicines, potentially including support for research, licensing and implementation.
NICE makes recommendations on whether the benefits of licensed medicines justify their costs and maintains surveillance of new developments that may affect its published guidance, including the latest evidence and any significant changes in the prices of medicines. NICE would consult on proposed changes to its guidance with stakeholders if significant new evidence relating to the clinical- and cost-effectiveness of a medicine were to emerge.
Asked by: Derek Twigg (Labour - Halton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department has made an assessment of the implications for its policies of the proposals set out in Cancer Research UK's report entitled Longer, better lives: A manifesto for cancer research and care; and what plans she has to fund cancer research in the next 10 years.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government welcomes Cancer Research UK’s report, which rightly highlights progress made in cancer diagnosis and care.
Cancer is a Government priority, demonstrated by the commitment to the ambition of diagnosing 75% of cancers at stages 1 and 2 by 2028. NHS England has implemented interventions to help achieve this ambition, such as Non-specific Symptom Pathways, and will continue to seek new ways to diagnose cancer earlier and save more lives, for example through the NHS-Galleri blood test trial.
Furthermore, the Department has invested over £100 million into cancer research in 2021/22 through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). In January 2023, Cancer Research UK, NIHR and the devolved administrations jointly provided funding of £47.5 million to the Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre network over the next five years. The Department is working closely with research partners in all sectors, and the Government's continued commitment to cancer research will help to build on that progress, leading to continued improvements for all cancer patients.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department is taking steps to help (a) increase the number of (i) children and (ii) young adults who are recruited to and (b) the development of medical trials for young people with cancer.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department-funded National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR) funds research and research infrastructure which supports patients and the public participate in high-quality research. Between 2018/19 and 2021/22, NIHR provided £35.2 million in funding for childhood cancer, equating to 7.8% of total cancer spend. Through the NIHR Clinical Research Network, NIHR supported the opening of 94 children’s cancer studies between 2018 and 2022, and the recruitment of 5,356 participants.
Since 2012, NIHR has funded a network of Paediatric Experimental Cancer Medicine Centres, dedicated to early-phase research on childhood cancers. This has enabled the development of a robust national trial network with international recognition.
In addition, NIHR provides an online service called 'Be Part of Research' which promotes participation in health and social care research by allowing users to search for relevant studies and register their interest. This makes it easier for people to find and take part in health and care research that is relevant to them.
Asked by: Janet Daby (Labour - Lewisham East)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what recent discussions she has had with (a) domestic stakeholder organisations and (b) international partners regarding the use of human-specific medical research.
Answered by Andrew Griffith - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Secretary of State has not had any meetings specifically on human-specific medical research. However, the Government is committed to reducing the reliance on the use of animals in research and officials in the department meet representatives from relevant stakeholder organisations and businesses, including the RSPCA, Unilever, LUSH and Animal Free Research.