Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he made of the number of lung cancer patients in England who have accessed the immuno-oncology drug nivolumab via private healthcare providers or other private sources of funding in the last year; and when NICE will make its final decision about NHS patients gaining access to that drug.

The Department does not hold the requested information concerning private healthcare or other private sources of funding.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence currently has two technology appraisals of nivolumab for lung cancer in development:

(i) Nivolumab for previously treated locally advanced or metastatic squamous non-small-cell lung cancer, with an anticipated publication date of May 2016.

(ii) Nivolumab for previously treated locally advanced or metastatic non-squamous non-small-cell lung cancer, with an anticipated publication date of September 2016.