Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure equitable access to Xonvea for women with hyperemesis gravidarum.

The Department recognises that hyperemesis gravidarum is a debilitating condition that can have a devastating impact on women and their families.

Decisions about what medicines to prescribe are made by the doctor or healthcare professional responsible for that part of the patient’s care. Prescribers are accountable for their prescribing decisions.

Prescribers must always satisfy themselves that the medicines they consider appropriate for their patients can be safely prescribed and that they take account of appropriate national guidance on clinical effectiveness, as well as the local commissioning decisions of their respective integrated care boards.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s guideline on antenatal care includes guidance on the advantages and disadvantages of different pharmacological treatments, including Xonvea, for nausea and vomiting in pregnancy to support shared decision making.