Cancer: Health Services
(asked on 5th February 2026) - View Source
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will outline the nature of the joint process between NICE and MHRA referenced in 2026 National Cancer Plan.
The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is an executive agency of the Department and regulates medicine, medical devices, and blood components for transfusion in the United Kingdom, with responsibility for ensuring medicines meet appropriate standards of safety, quality, and efficacy.
The joint process between the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and the MHRA, as mentioned in the National Cancer Plan for England, published in February 2026, refers to the commitments of the two organisations to align decision timeframes for new medicines and new indications, as outlined in the Government’s Regulatory Action plan, England’s 10-Year Health Plan, and the Life Sciences Sector Plan, in action 27, all published in 2025. The Life Sciences Sector Plan is available at the following link:
This joint information-sharing initiative aims to deliver both MHRA licensing decision and NICE guidance publication at the same time. It will mean more medicines receive approval for use on the National Health Service in England at the same time as they are authorised for use in the UK. This will ultimately benefit patients in the UK as it is anticipated that new medicines will reach UK patients three to six months faster as a result. This initiative was announced by the MHRA and NICE in August 2025, with further information available at the following link:
Action 27 of the Life Sciences Sector Plan also introduces an integrated scientific advice service, launching in March 2026, where the two organisations will work together to provide medicines developers with advice to support this aligned approach.