Spinal Muscular Atrophy: Babies
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of testing newborn babies for spinal muscular atrophy.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne
Work is already underway to assess the potential merits of testing newborn babies for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA).
This is following the UK National Screening Committee’s two-fold recommendation in 2023, to simultaneously develop a new cost-effectiveness screening modelling study for the United Kingdom’s screening context, and to start scoping work for an in-service evaluation of newborn screening for SMA in real world National Health Services in the UK.
Verbatim has judged this answer against the question that was actually asked — answered, partly answered, or evaded. Sign in to see the verdict →