Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions his Department has had with NICE on that body's decision not to recommend nivolumab for treating relapsed or refractory classical Hodgkin lymphoma and the suitability of methods of appraisal used to assess blood cancer medicines which treat small patient populations.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is an independent body and is responsible for the methods and processes it uses in the development of its guidance, which are developed through extensive engagement with stakeholders and periodically reviewed to ensure they remain appropriate. NICE has been able to recommend a number of drugs for the treatment of blood cancers for small patient populations through its technology appraisal programme.

NICE has not yet published final guidance on the use of nivolumab for the treatment of relapsed or refractory classical Hodgkin lymphoma and stakeholders had until 3 April to comment on NICE’s draft recommendations.