Question reference: S2W-01552
- Asked by: Brian Adam, MSP for Aberdeen North, Scottish National Party
- Date lodged: 16 July 2003
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Current status: Answered by Tom McCabe on 13 August 2003
Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how its measures the efficacy of factor (a) VIII and (b) IX in the treatment of haemophilia and how efficacious each has been.
Answer
The efficacy of all Factor VIII and Factor IX products are assessed by clinical trials carried out in Haemophilia centres on behalf of the product manufacturers as a prerequisite to the manufacturer being granted a license to market the product by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency. Efficacy is defined for this purpose as stopping or preventing bleeding.The efficacy of Factor VIII and IX has been established for over 30 years. Treatments with these products are very effective, without them patients would suffer spontaneous bleeding which caused severe disability and in severe cases ultimately death.