To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many potential vCJD treatments are being tested in the UK; and what stage each trial has reached. (313609)

There is no proven therapy for patients with variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD), nor are there any clinical trials for vCJD treatments in progress in the United Kingdom.

Some current UK vCJD patients are being treated with Pentosan Polysulphate, which may extend life, on an individual basis.

The Department is currently providing funding for a six-year multi-million pound collaboration between the MRC Prion Unit and GlaxoSmithKline with the objective of developing an effective drug for human prion infection and disease. In addition the National Prion Monitoring Cohort study, also funded by the Department at the MRC Prion Unit, has as an objective to monitor use of anti-prion agents if and when used.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of vCJD have been diagnosed in each of the last 10 years (a) in total and (b) in each genotype. (313610)

The National Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease Surveillance Unit:

http://www.cjd.ed.ac.uk/

reports the number of cases diagnosed as:

All cases of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD) where the genotype is known are MM at codon 129 of the PrP gene.

There has been one case of possible vCJD reported in a patient with MV genotype at codon 129 of the PrP gene. This patient did not fulfil the probable clinical case definition for vCJD as set by the World Health Organization, and is therefore not included in the figures for definite or probable vCJD.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people have contracted vCJD from contaminated blood via blood transfusion in each of the last five years; how many such people contracted vCJD from non-leucodepleted blood; and if he will make a statement. (314084)

None.