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Insulin

Volume 458: debated on Tuesday 13 March 2007

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what steps her Department plans to take to ensure that Glockhardt UK passes its technology to another manufacturer in order to guarantee continuity of supply of animal insulins, as discussed at the meeting between Department of Health officials and key stakeholders on 17 May 2006; and if she will make a statement; (126412)

(2) what her Department's strategy is for the supply of animal insulin; when it was published; and if she will place a copy of the strategy in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to her letter to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst (Robert Neill), dated 28 November 2006, and her letter to Earl Howe dated 10 July 2006, what her Department's insulin strategy is; when it was published; if she will place a copy of the strategy in the Library; and if she will make a statement. (126267)

The Department has received assurances from Wockhardt UK that if at any time in the future it decided to cease supply of its animal insulins, it would actively support another manufacturer with its licence application, sharing licence data to support it coming into the market to the best of its ability. The Department will support and facilitate this process.

The Department's strategy for the supply of animal insulins has been placed in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to her letter of 28 November 2006 to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst, on the strategy of supply of animal insulin, whether the provision of the option of animal insulin to patients only if considered appropriate by the health care professionals is in accordance with the Doctor-Patient Partnership outlined by the General Medical Council's new good medical practice guidelines which came into force on 13 November 2006. (126413)

All decisions about appropriate treatment regimes for people with diabetes should be made between the individual concerned and their health care professional. The choice of insulin is the result of their joint decision-making process.