Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the (a) availability of and (b) access to innovative treatments for sickle cell disease in the NHS.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is currently developing guidance on the use of crizanlizumab for preventing sickle cell crises in sickle cell disease and expects to publish its final recommendation in September 2021. In addition, NICE’s appraisal of voxelotor for treating sickle cell disease is anticipated to begin in September 2021, with an expected publication date of August 2022.

The Government published the UK Rare Diseases Framework in January 2021, outlining four key priorities to improve the lives of those living with rare diseases, such as sickle cell disease. One of these priorities is improving access to specialist care, treatment and drugs. The Framework will be followed by nation-specific action plans, detailing how each nation of the United Kingdom will meet the shared priorities of the Framework.