Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will issue a direction under Regulation 7 of the National Institue for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) (Constitution and Functions) and the Health and Social Care Information Centre (Functions) Regulations 2013 to exempt clinical commissioning groups from the requirement to comply with NICE Technology Assessment Guidance TA155, in order that NHS commissioners can make their own decision on whether to issue the drug Avastin and Lucentis.

We have no such plans. The Government believes that drugs and treatments that are established as clinically and cost effective should be available to patients. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published technology appraisal guidance on Lucentis (ranibizumab) and Macugen (pegaptanib) for the treatment of age-related macular degeneration (TA155) that recommends Lucentis as a clinically and cost effective use of National Health Service resources for the treatment of patients with wet age-related macular degeneration meeting specific clinical criteria.

Under Regulation 7, commissioners are legally required to make funding available so that clinicians can prescribe treatments recommended in NICE technology appraisal guidance to patients. This does not prevent commissioners from supporting the use of additional treatment options if they believe they would be of benefit to their local population.

Avastin (bevacizumab) is not licensed for use in the treatment of wet age-related macular degeneration. Clinicians are able to prescribe drugs outside their marketing authorisation where they believe it is clinical appropriate, based on an assessment of their patient’s individual clinical circumstances.