Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of eligible patients are receiving a biologic for (a) rheumatoid arthritis, (b) dermatology, (c) immunology, (d) multiple sclerosis and (e) severe asthma as of 17 October 2022.

The information requested is not held centrally.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has made recommendations on the use of the biological medicines for the treatment of a range of conditions. Further information is available on the NICE website at www.nice.org.uk

NHS commissioners in England are legally required to make funding available for NICE recommended treatments so that they are available for clinicians to prescribe to patients, normally within three months of NICE’s guidance.