Jim Shannon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2014-07-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with medical authorities on the use of botox as a painkiller; and whether it is used as such in the NHS.

Norman Lamb

We have had no such discussions. Botox is not licensed in the United Kingdom for use as a painkiller.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published technology appraisal guidance for the National Health Service in May 2012 which recommends botulinum toxin type A as a possible treatment for preventing headaches in some adults with chronic migraine, subject to certain clinical criteria.

Patients have the right to drugs and treatments that have been recommended by NICE for use in the NHS, where their doctor believes they are clinically appropriate.