Cancer: Drugs

(asked on 18th April 2019) - View Source

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 15 April 2019 to Question 242692 on Cancer: Drugs, what steps the Government is taking to give timely NICE and NHS approval to enable access to maintenance medication for people with cancer.


Answered by
Seema Kennedy Portrait
Seema Kennedy
This question was answered on 25th April 2019

Through its technology appraisal programme, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) makes recommendations for the National Health Service on whether drugs and other treatments represent an effective use of NHS resources. NHS England is legally required to fund cancer drugs recommended in NICE technology appraisal guidance.

The Government wants patients with cancer to be able to benefit from rapid access to effective new drugs, including for maintenance treatment. Under arrangements introduced in 2016, NICE now develops technology appraisal guidance for the NHS on all new cancer drugs. Wherever possible, NICE aims to issue draft guidance on new cancer drugs before licensing and to publish final guidance within 90 days of licensing.

Funding is available through the Cancer Drugs Fund from the point at which NICE draft recommendations are published, or if the drug is not currently licensed, from the point of licensing. This ensures patients are able to benefit from effective new cancer drugs as quickly as possible.

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