Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to make the drug Kuvan for people with phenylketonuria available on the NHS.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has been asked to develop recommendations for the National Health Service on the use of Kuvan for the treatment of phenylketonuria through its technology appraisal programme. NHS commissioners are legally required to fund medicines recommended in NICE technology appraisal guidance.

NICE’s appraisal had been suspended as the manufacturer of Kuvan, BioMarin, had withdrawn from the process. However, BioMarin has now agreed to re-engage in the appraisal and NICE will now aim to publish guidance on Kuvan as soon as possible. Further information on the appraisal is available on NICE’s website at the following link:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/indevelopment/gid-ta10378