Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of levels of regional variation in access to fezolinetant across England.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published guidance on 31 March 2026 recommending fezolinetant as an option for treating moderate to severe menopause-related hot flushes and night sweats when hormone replacement therapy is unsuitable. The National Health Service in England is legally required to fund medicines recommended by NICE, usually within three months of final guidance. This means integrated care boards (ICBs) are now required to fund fezolinetant in line with NICE’s recommendation. It remains for clinicians to decide whether it is the right treatment for an individual patient.

The Department has not assessed whether access to fezolinetant varies between the regions of England. It has also not had discussions with NHS England about access to fezolinetant in the Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland ICB.

NHS England has not issued separate national guidance to ICBs on prescribing fezolinetant.