Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent representations (a) NHS England and (b) NICE have received from (i) drug companies and (ii) patient groups on the treatment of uveitis.

NHS England has received 12 letters from hon. Members and has met with key stakeholders, including patient organisations and charities such as the Royal National Institute of Blind People and Olivia’s Vision. This followed their decision in July not to fund Infliximab (Remicade) and Adalimumab (Humira), Anti-TNF drugs, as a treatment for adults and children with severe refractory uveitis.

NHS England has also been in discussion with Abbvie, a Pharmaceutical Research and Development Company which is due to report on their trial of Adalimumab in adults in early 2016.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is developing technology appraisal guidance on the use of the drugs dexamethasone and sorolimus for the treatment of uveitis. NICE develops its technology appraisal guidance in consultation with a broad range of stakeholders and the representations it receives in the development of its guidance will be available on the NICE website at:

http://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/indevelopment/gid-ta10007

NICE has not received any representations about uveitis not related to this ongoing technology appraisal.