To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of placing advance orders for inhaled interferon beta, which is being trialled as a treatment for covid-19 in Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary and other hospitals.
Answered on
12 April 2021
On 30 November, we announced a £20 million Medicines and Diagnostics Manufacturing Transformation Fund. This will offer capital grants to businesses, incentivising them to place internationally mobile high value manufacturing investment, such as the manufacturing interferon beta in the United Kingdom.
The Department has been working constructively with Synairgen to assist them in generating data in support of their inhaled interferon beta treatment, SNG001. We continue to monitor progress on SNG001 closely. However, purchasing of therapeutics will only be considered once there is sufficient evidence of safety and efficacy and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has provided marketing authorisation.