Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which cancer medicines have received (a) an innovation passport and (b) other support under the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency’s Innovative Licensing and Access Pathway; and if he will make an assessment of the impact of the pathway on the time taken for innovative treatments to become available to patients.

The Innovative Licensing and Access Pathway (ILAP) was launched in January 2021, and has seen strong interest from both small and large companies in a variety of therapeutic settings. Companies who successfully gain an Innovation Passport designation are able to apply for the next step; the Target Development Profile. There are currently 55 cancer drugs that have been awarded an innovation passport as part of the Innovative Licensing and Access Pathway. Eight of these products have accessed the Target Development Profile and a further seven are in progress.

Holding an innovation passport is required to apply for Project Orbis. Project Orbis provides a framework for concurrent submission and review of oncology products among international partners, aiming to deliver faster patient access to innovative cancer treatments. 27 innovation passport holders have applied for Project Orbis.

Following the McLean report there is ongoing work to ensure enhanced speed and efficiency of ILAP.