Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what consultation process took place which led to the decision by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and the Chief Medical Officer not to pursue procurement of Evusheld; whether they will publish minutes of the meeting where this decision was made; and who attended that meeting.

The decision not to procure Evusheld at this time for prevention through emergency routes is based on independent clinical advice by the multi-agency RAPID C-19 and a national expert policy working group. The decision is based on a range of evidence, including clinical trial data, in vitro analysis and emerging observational studies. RAPID C-19 monitors activity in clinical trials for emerging evidence and where treatments are proven to be clinically effective, enables access for National Health Service patients. The Chief Medical Officer for England is content that the correct process for providing clinical advice has been followed and it has now been referred to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) for further evaluation.

The RAPID C-19 Oversight Group’s report on its decision-making process was published on 6 October in an online only format. It concluded that the quality of data is insufficient to progress to patient access before the completion of NICE’s technology appraisal, which will determine the drug’s clinical and cost-effectiveness. The Department does not hold the minutes or a list of attendees from the meetings in which this decision was made, as RAPID C-19 is an independent advisory group.