Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason the NHS will only fund many immunotherapy treatments for a maximum of two years; and if he will make a statement.

The clinical trials for many immunotherapy treatments licensed and recommended for use in the National Health Service in England were based on uninterrupted treatment for a maximum of two years. There is insufficient evidence to show that continued treatment beyond two years provides additional clinical benefit. This aligns with evidence submitted to the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) by the pharmaceutical company and the cost-effectiveness of treatment beyond this timescale is not known.

When developing clinical treatment criteria, NHS England considers the evidence base on which products are licensed and approved for use, in addition to with the considerations of NICE’s appraisal committee.