Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the obstacles which have prevented medicines being launched over the last five years, including terminated appraisals by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) plays a critical role in supporting patient access to clinically and cost effective new medicines and it consistently approves a very high proportion of medicines that come to England for appraisal. Over the last five years, NICE has approved 91% medicines that it appraised, with the latest figures for 2024/25 also standing at 91%.

NICE is also monitoring the proportion of appraisals that are terminated where the company does not participate in the appraisal process. The Medicines data: NICE approvals and availability in England paper, a copy of which is attached, was recently considered by the NICE board and summarised the findings of research with companies into the reasons stated by industry for terminating appraisals. The research showed that the proportion of terminations has been stable over the last five years, and that terminations reflect that not all products/indications will likely be clinically and cost effective.

The Life Sciences Sector Plan, published on 16 July, focuses on enabling world-class research and development, making the United Kingdom one of the best places in the world to start, scale, and invest in life sciences, thereby driving healthcare innovation and reform. This approach will support high-growth businesses, deliver better health outcomes, and cement the UK’s global leadership in life sciences.

It sets out our commitment to make the UK one of the top three fastest places in Europe for patient access to medicines by 2030. To achieve this, the Government will measure:

- the speed with which products are licensed and/or registered on the UK market in comparison to other European markets;

- the timeline and cost to achieving appropriate Health Technology Assessment in England; and

- the uptake and widespread adoption of products in the National Health Service in England.