Prices of Growth Hormone medicines prescribed in 2019, and numbers of patients for each

Response to this request is long overdue. By law, under all circumstances, NHS England should have responded by now (details). You can complain by requesting an internal review.

Dear NHS England,

I have been informed by Helen Whateley MP that you have a programme for encouraging the use of biosimilar medicines. I would be grateful if you could tell me what the uptake of biosimilar growth hormone products is. In other words, how many patients in 2019 were prescribed the cheaper omnitrope, and how many received the more expensive growth hormone products (genotropin, humatrope, norditropin, nutropin Aq, saizen, zomacton.)

Please could you also tell me the prices of the defined daily dose (DDD) of all these medicines?
With many thanks.

Yours faithfully,

Joanna Lane

CONTACTUS, England (NHS ENGLAND & NHS IMPROVEMENT - X24), NHS England

Dear Customer,
 
Thank you for your email.
 
Due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, NHS England has paused the
investigation of new and existing complaints. This enables clinical staff,
including GPs, to focus on front line patient care. It also enables our
complaints teams to provide vital support to the NHS.

We will continue to review and acknowledge all new complaints and will act
upon any concerns about patient safety or safeguarding. However, we will
not investigate the complaint or respond until further notice.

All customers awaiting a response to a complaint will be notified that the
investigation is on hold.

 

We will resume our complaints service as soon as possible. In the
meantime, thank you for your patience and understanding.

We are currently receiving a higher than usual volume of emails so it may
take us a little longer to respond. In the meantime, you may find the
following information helpful.
Please note: our normal working hours are 08:00 to 18:00 from Monday to
Friday (excluding Bank Holidays). Emails received at the weekend will not
be reviewed until the next working day.
How can the Customer Contact Centre help me?
NHS England commissions or buys primary care services; for example, GPs,
dentists, opticians, and pharmacy services. We are also responsible for
prison healthcare, military health services, and some specialised
services. We can provide advice about accessing, giving feedback or making
a complaint about these services.
You may be able to find the answer you are looking for in our Frequently
Asked Questions<https://www.england.nhs.uk/contact-us/ho...>
and our website explains how to share feedback or make a
complaint.<https://www.england.nhs.uk/contact-us/co...>
What if I have an enquiry or complaint about hospital care, NHS 111 or
out-of-hours GP services?
If your enquiry or complaint is about secondary care, this includes
hospitals, NHS 111, mental health services, out-of-hours services and
community services such as district nursing, you will need to contact the
organisation that provided the service. All hospitals have a Patient
Advice and Liaison Service
(PALS)<https://www.nhs.uk/common-health-questio...>.
Alternatively, you can contact your local Clinical Commissioning Group
(CCG). You can find their contact details on the NHS
website<https://www.nhs.uk/Service-Search/Clinic...>
Does the NHS England Customer Contact Centre provide medical advice?
No. Our advisors are not clinically trained and are unable to provide
medical advice. If you require emergency medical attention, dial 999 or
attend your local Accident and Emergency department if you are able to do
so.
If you require non-urgent medical advice please contact your GP, local
walk-in or urgent healthcare centre, or call NHS 111. Calls are free from
landlines and mobile phones.

How do I report a change of name or address?
You should report a change of name or address to your GP practice so they
can update their records. If your new address is outside the practice’s
catchment area you may be asked to register with a new GP practice.
You should also advise your dentist or optician of a change of name or
address as they keep their own records.

Where can I find further information about NHS England?
You can find information about NHS England and our work on our
website<https://www.england.nhs.uk/about/>
How do you use my information?
NHS England’s privacy notice explains how we use, share and store your
personal information. You can find this on our
website.<https://www.england.nhs.uk/contact-us/pr...>
NHS England Customer Contact Centre

show quoted sections

FOITEAMCRMMAILBOX (NHS ENGLAND & NHS IMPROVEMENT - X24), NHS England

Dear  Joanna Lane,

Thank you for your communication dated 28 May 2020.

NHS England has assessed your communication as a request under the Freedom
of Information (FOI) Act 2000. As such, please be assured that your
request is being dealt with under the terms of the FOI Act and will be
answered within twenty working days.

For further information regarding the FOI Act, please refer to the
Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) website. For further information
regarding NHS England and the information it publishes please visit our
website here.

If you have any queries about this request or wish to contact us again,
please email [1][NHS England request email] and the message will be
forwarded appropriately. Please remember to quote the above reference
number in any future communications.

Please do not reply to this email. This message has been sent from a
central mailbox. To communicate with NHS England regarding Freedom of
Information (FOI) requests, enquiries or complaints we ask these are sent
directly to NHS England’s customer contact centre. This is to ensure all
communications are progressed correctly. Their postal address, telephone
number and email details are as follows:- PO Box 16738, Redditch, B97 9PT;
0300 3 11 22 33, [2][NHS England request email].

Yours sincerely, 

Freedom of Information
Corporate Communications Team
Transformation and Corporate Operations Directorate
NHS England
PO Box 16738
REDDITCH
B97 9PT
Tel: 0300 311 22 33
Email: [3][NHS England request email]

‘High quality care for all, now and for future generations’

 

 

show quoted sections

FOITEAMCRMMAILBOX (NHS ENGLAND & NHS IMPROVEMENT - X24), NHS England

Dear Joanna Lane,  

Thank you for your communications dated 28 May 2020.

Your exact request was:

“I have been informed by Helen Whateley MP that you have a programme for
encouraging the use of biosimilar medicines. I would be grateful if you
could tell me what the uptake of biosimilar growth hormone products is. In
other words, how many patients in 2019 were prescribed the cheaper
omnitrope, and how many received the more expensive growth hormone
products (genotropin, humatrope, norditropin, nutropin Aq, saizen,
zomacton.) Please could you also tell me the prices of the defined daily
dose (DDD) of all these medicines?”

NHS England does not hold information in relation to your request.

It may help if we first explain that NHS England is not the same as ‘the
NHS in England’. The NHS in England is not a single organisation but is
made up of a range of organisations such as Hospitals, Clinical
Commissioning Groups (CCGs) and Ambulance Trusts. NHS England is
responsible for commissioning primary care services such as GP and dental
surgeries, as well as some specialised secondary care services. Therefore,
any recorded information NHS England may be able to provide in response to
an FOI request will generally relate to the services NHS England
commissions.

For information on commissioned services and the types of information NHS
England holds can be found on our [1]website and [2]publication scheme.
For further information on the NHS, its structure and other NHS
organisations please refer to the NHS [3]website.

This information may be held by the NHS Business Services Authority
(NHSBSA). FOI requests to NHSBSA can be made through their [4]website.

We hope this information is helpful. However, if you are dissatisfied, you
have the right to ask for an internal review. This should be requested in
writing within two months of the date of this letter. Your correspondence
should be labelled “Internal Review” and should outline your concerns
and/or the area(s) you would like the review to consider. Internal Review
requests should be sent to:

NHS England
PO Box 16738
REDDITCH
B97 9PT

Email: [5][NHS England request email]

Please quote the reference number FOI-2005-1193265 in any future
communications.

If you are not content with the outcome of the internal review, you have
the right to apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a
decision. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) can be contacted at:

The Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF

Telephone: 0303 123 1113
Email: [6][email address]  
Website: [7]www.ico.org.uk

Please note there is no charge for making an appeal.

Please be aware that in line with the Information Commissioner’s directive
on the disclosure of information under the FOI Act, your request will be
anonymised and published on our website as part of our disclosure log.

Please do not reply to this email. This message has been sent from a
central mailbox. To communicate with NHS England regarding Freedom of
Information (FOI) requests, enquiries or complaints we ask these are sent
directly to NHS England’s customer contact centre. This is to ensure all
communications are progressed correctly. Their postal address, telephone
number and email details are as follows: PO Box 16738, Redditch, B97 9PT;
0300 3 11 22 33, [8][NHS England request email].

Yours sincerely,

Freedom of Information
Corporate Communications Team
Transformation and Corporate Operations Directorate

NHS England
PO Box 16738
REDDITCH
B97 9PT

Tel: 0300 311 22 33
Email: [9][NHS England request email]

show quoted sections

Dear FOITEAMCRMMAILBOX (NHS ENGLAND & NHS IMPROVEMENT - X24),

Thank you for your reply, and thank you for explaining the different roles of NHS England and ‘the NHS in England’. However, it is NHS England that is conducting a biosimilars programme.

In ‘Commissioning framework for biological medicines’ https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/up... there is the following statement:

"Our aim is that at least 90% of new patients will be prescribed the best value biological medicine within 3 months of launch of a biosimilar medicine, and at least 80% of existing patients within 12 months. "

Someone at NHS England must be monitoring this programme. I would therefore like to reframe my FOI request as follows:

• What percentage of growth hormone deficient patients are now prescribed the biosimilar omnitrope, or whatever is now the ‘best value’?
• If the promised uptake of 80% had been achieved within a year of Omnitrope’s appearance in 2006, how much money would have been saved?

I realise that you may have to treat this as a new Freedom of Information request, but I do hope you can help me.

With many thanks

Yours sincerely,

Joanna Lane

FOITEAMCRMMAILBOX (NHS ENGLAND & NHS IMPROVEMENT - X24), NHS England

Dear Joanna Lane,

Thank you for your communication dated 1st July 2020.

NHS England has assessed your communication as a request under the Freedom
of Information (FOI) Act 2000. As such, please be assured that your
request is being dealt with under the terms of the FOI Act and will be
answered within twenty working days. Your request has been allocated the
following reference number FOI-2007-2007-1213945

For further information regarding the FOI Act, please refer to the
Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) website. For further information
regarding NHS England and the information it publishes please visit our
website.

If you have any queries about this request or wish to contact us again,
please email [1][NHS England request email] and the message will be
forwarded appropriately. Please remember to quote the above reference
number in any future communications.

Please do not reply to this email. This message has been sent from a
central mailbox. To communicate with NHS England regarding Freedom of
Information (FOI) requests, enquiries or complaints we ask these are sent
directly to NHS England’s customer contact centre. This is to ensure all
communications are progressed correctly. Their postal address, telephone
number and email details are as follows: PO Box 16738, Redditch, B97 9PT;
0300 3 11 22 33, [2][NHS England request email].

Yours sincerely,

Freedom of Information
Communications
Office of the Chairs, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer

NHS England
PO Box 16738
REDDITCH
B97 9PT

Tel: 0300 311 22 33
Email: [3][NHS England request email]

show quoted sections

FOITEAMCRMMAILBOX (NHS ENGLAND & NHS IMPROVEMENT - X24), NHS England

Dear Joanna Lane,   

Re:     Freedom of Information request (Our Ref: FOI - 2006-1206693)

Thank you for your Freedom of Information (FOI) request dated 1 July 2020.

Your exact request was:

"Thank you for your reply, and thank you for explaining the different
roles of NHS England and ‘the NHS in England’. However, it is NHS England
that is conducting a biosimilars programme.
In ‘Commissioning framework for biological medicines’
[1]https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/up...

there is the following statement: "Our aim is that at least 90% of new
patients will be prescribed the best value biological medicine within 3
months of launch of a biosimilar medicine, and at least 80% of existing
patients within 12 months. "

Someone at NHS England must be monitoring this programme. I would
therefore like to reframe my FOI request as follows:

•           What percentage of growth hormone deficient patients are now
prescribed the biosimilar omnitrope, or whatever is now the ‘best value’?
•           If the promised uptake of 80% had been achieved within a year
of Omnitrope’s appearance in 2006, how much money would have been saved?

I realise that you may have to treat this as a new Freedom of Information
request, but I do hope you can help me.

Initial Request 2005-1193265:

"I have been informed by Helen Whateley MP that you have a programme for 
encouraging the use of biosimilar medicines. I would be grateful if you 
could tell me what the uptake of biosimilar growth hormone products is.
In  other words, how many patients in 2019 were prescribed the cheaper 
omnitrope, and how many received the more expensive growth hormone 
products (genotropin, humatrope, norditropin, nutropin Aq, saizen,
zomacton.) Please could you also tell me the prices of the defined daily 
dose (DDD) of all these medicines?"

NHS England holds some of this information.

In regard to the cost of drugs, NHS England holds this information.
However, as the information held is in the public domain, we will under
Section 21 of the FOI Act (information accessible to the applicant by
other means) refer you to the published source:

[2]https://improvement.nhs.uk/resources/nat...

[3]https://bnf.nice.org.uk/

In regard to the rest of your enquiry growth hormones are commissioned by
Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) and there isn’t a national programme
looking at growth hormone uptake therefore we have no information
regarding this enquiry.

As such, you may wish to redirect your enquiry to individual CCGs. You can
find CCG contact information on the NHS  website at the following web
link:

[4]http://www.nhs.uk/ServiceDirectories/Pag...

Copyright:- NHS England operates under the terms of the open government
licence. Please see the NHS England Terms and conditions on the following
link
 

* [5]http://www.england.nhs.uk/terms-and-cond...

We hope this information is helpful. However, if you are dissatisfied, you
have the right to ask for an internal review. This should be requested in
writing within two months of the date of this letter. Your correspondence
should be labelled “Internal Review” and should outline your concerns
and/or the area(s) you would like the review to consider. Internal Review
requests should be sent to:

NHS England
PO Box 16738
REDDITCH
B97 9PT

Email: [6][NHS England request email]

Please quote the reference number     FOI - 2006-1206693 in any future
communications.

If you are not content with the outcome of the internal review, you have
the right to apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a
decision. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) can be contacted at:

The Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF

Telephone: 0303 123 1113
Email: [7][email address]  
Website: [8]www.ico.org.uk

Please note there is no charge for making an appeal.

Please be aware that in line with the Information Commissioner’s directive
on the disclosure of information under the FOI Act, your request will be
anonymised and published on our website as part of our disclosure log.

Please do not reply to this email. This message has been sent from a
central mailbox. To communicate with NHS England regarding Freedom of
Information (FOI) requests, enquiries or complaints we ask these are sent
directly to NHS England’s customer contact centre. This is to ensure all
communications are progressed correctly. Their postal address, telephone
number and email details are as follows:- PO Box 16738, Redditch, B97 9PT;
0300 3 11 22 33, [9][NHS England request email].

Yours sincerely,

Freedom of Information
Corporate Communications Team
Transformation and Corporate Operations Directorate

NHS England
PO Box 16738
REDDITCH
B97 9PT

Tel: 0300 311 22 33
Email: [10][NHS England request email]
 

show quoted sections

Dear NHS England,

Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of Information reviews.

I am writing to request an internal review of NHS England's handling of my FOI request 'Prices of Growth Hormone medicines prescribed in 2019, and numbers of patients for each', - a request which was in the course of correspondence modified to
• What percentage of growth hormone deficient patients are now
prescribed the biosimilar omnitrope, or whatever is now the ‘best value’?
• If the promised uptake of 80% had been achieved within a year
of Omnitrope’s appearance in 2006, how much money would have been saved?

My basis for asking these questions was this. When I asked my MP about the uptake of growth hormone biosimilars I received a reply from Helen Whately MP which said "With regard to biosimilars, NHS England has established a programme of work to increase awareness, understanding and confidence amongst decision makers such as commissioners, clinicians, pharmacists, patients and others, in their consideration of the appropriate use of biosimilar medicines."

Helen Whately would not have mentioned this programme if she did not believe that growth hormone biosimilars were included in it. Moreover, On NHS England's website I found the statement (https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/up... )

"Our aim is that at least 90% of new patients will be prescribed the best value biological medicine within 3 months of launch of a biosimilar medicine, and at least 80% of existing patients within 12 months. " Clearly NHS England would not set up a programme without monitoring it and I was therefore very surprised to be told " there isn’t a national programme looking at growth hormone uptake. "

Omnitrope is a biosimilar just like all the others, and it has been on the scene for longer. I would like the discrepancy between Helen Whately MP's implied statement and NHS England's to be explained. If omnitrope has for some reason been excluded from the programme I would like an explanation for that too.

A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is available on the Internet at this address: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/p...

Yours faithfully,

Joanna Lane

CONTACTUS, England (NHS ENGLAND & NHS IMPROVEMENT - X24), NHS England

**THIS IS AN AUTOMATED RESPONSE**
 
Dear Customer,
 
Thank you for your email. We are currently receiving a higher than usual
volume of emails so it may take us a little longer to respond directly to
your email. In the meantime, you may find the following information
helpful.
 
Please note: our normal working hours are 08:00 to 18:00 from Monday to
Friday (excluding Bank Holidays). Emails received at the weekend will not
be reviewed until the next working day.
How can the Customer Contact Centre help me?
NHS England commissions or buys primary care services; for example, GPs,
dentists, opticians, and pharmacy services. We are also responsible for
prison healthcare, military health services, and some specialised
services. We can provide advice about accessing, giving feedback or making
a complaint about these services.
You may be able to find the answer you are looking for in our Frequently
Asked Questions<https://www.england.nhs.uk/contact-us/ho...>
and our website explains how to share feedback or make a
complaint.[1]https://www.england.nhs.uk/contact-us/co...
What if I have an enquiry or complaint about hospital care, NHS 111 or
out-of-hours GP services?
If your enquiry or complaint is about secondary care, this includes
hospitals, NHS 111, mental health services, out-of-hours services and
community services such as district nursing, you will need to contact the
organisation that provided the service. All hospitals have a Patient
Advice and Liaison Service (PALS)
[2]https://www.nhs.uk/common-health-questio...
. Alternatively, you can contact your local Clinical Commissioning Group
(CCG). You can find their contact details on the NHS
website[3]https://www.nhs.uk/Service-Search/Clinic...
Does the NHS England Customer Contact Centre provide medical advice?
No. Our advisors are not clinically trained and are unable to provide
medical advice. If you require emergency medical attention, dial 999 or
attend your local Accident and Emergency department if you are able to do
so.
If you require non-urgent medical advice please contact your GP, local
walk-in or urgent healthcare centre, or call NHS 111. Calls are free from
landlines and mobile phones.

How do I report a change of name or address?
You should report a change of name or address to your GP practice so they
can update their records. If your new address is outside the practice’s
catchment area you may be asked to register with a new GP practice.
You should also advise your dentist or optician of a change of name or
address as they keep their own records.

Where can I find further information about NHS England?
You can find information about NHS England and our work on our
website[4]https://www.england.nhs.uk/about/
How do you use my information?
NHS England’s privacy notice explains how we use, share and store your
personal information. You can find this on our
website.[5]https://www.england.nhs.uk/contact-us/pr...
NHS England Customer Contact Centre

show quoted sections