New funding will secure synthetic clotting products for haemophilia
patients

Public Health Minister Hazel Blears today announced an extra #88
million over the next three years to provide synthetic clotting
factors for haemophilia patients.

In 1998 the Government provided funding to place all haemophilia
patients under 16 on synthetic clotting factors. These patients have
continued to receive synthetic products as they have grown older. The
extra funding announced today will extend the availability of
synthetic clotting products to adult haemophilia patients.

Over the next few months the Government will work with key
stakeholders including the Haemophilia Society to design a programme
for rolling out access to these products to older age groups. The
roll out will take time to achieve because of the large volumes of
product involved but by March 2006 the vast majority of patients
should be receiving the new treatments.

Haemophilia is a genetic blood condition in which an essential
clotting factor is either partly or completely missing. This causes a
person with haemophilia to bleed for longer than normal. The main
problem is bleeding into joints, muscles and soft tissues.

Treatment for haemophilia is usually by replacing the missing
clotting factor through regular injections which helps the blood to
clot and minimises the likelihood of long term joint damage. For many
years clotting factors used to treat people with haemophilia have
been made from human blood plasma. As a precaution against the
theoretical risk from vCJD, plasma from UK donors is no longer used
to make these products.

In recent years synthetic alternatives to clotting factors from human
plasma have become increasingly available. These are usually known as
recombinant clotting factors and are regarded as free from the risk
of blood borne infections as well as the theoretical risk from vCJD.

Hazel Blears said:

"We have taken a number of steps to make clotting factors used to
treat people with haemophilia as safe as possible. We hope this extra
#88 million will ultimately give all haemophilia patients access to
synthetic treatments, where these are recommended by clinicians."

Karin Pappenheim Chief Executive of the Haemophilia Society welcomed
today's announcement. She said:

"As the national patient group, the Society welcomes this move. It
show that the Government has listened to the wishes of patients with
haemophilia who want the choice of being treated with synthetic
recombinant, which is now seen as the safest modern treatment for
this incurable bleeding disorder. We look forward to working with the
Department of Health, NHS managers and clinicians on the
implementation of this positive improvement to patient care."

Notes to editors

1. There are around 5000 haemophiliacs in England, around 2200 with
severe haemophilia requiring regular treatment with clotting factors.
Around 700 of these are aged up to 21 and therefore already receiving
synthetic clotting factors.

2. The #88 million will begin the process of extending the provision
of recombinant clotting factors to the roughly 1500 severe
haemophilia patients over the age of 21. It is estimated these
patients will require in the region of 200 million units of clotting
factor a year.

3. The #88 million will be allocated as follows: 2003/04 - #13
million; 2004/05 - #21.7 million; 2005/06 - #53.4 million.

4. Department of Health officials will be working closely with the
Haemophilia Society, the UK Haemophilia Centre Doctors Organisation,
Primary Care Trusts and others to agree a strategy for the phased
introduction of synthetic products for adult haemophilia patients
using allocated funds.

5. For further information please contact the Department of Health
press office on 020 7210 5623 / 4860.

ENDS