Question reference: S1W-17965
- Asked by: Nicola Sturgeon, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
- Date lodged: 5 September 2001
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Current status: Answered by Susan Deacon on 19 September 2001
Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether batches of blood and blood products produced before heat treatment was introduced in 1987 continued to be used to treat patients in the NHS after heat treated blood products were available and, if so, when they ceased being used.
Answer
Factor VIII concentrates issued by SNBTS since December 1984 have been heat-treated. Initially this heat treatment was to 68ºC but SNBTS subsequently developed a new product able to withstand a more severe heat treatment to 80ºC.This new product first became available for routine use in late April 1987 but in order to establish patient tolerability it was phased into use carefully over a number of weeks. I understand that all haemophilia A patients in Scotland who were being treated with SNBTS Factor VIII were receiving the new product by early August 1987, by which time any residual use of the SNBTS 68ºC treated product had ceased.